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HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY

FROM THE

ffamjc Sckwimann^acksori

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FOR THE PURCHASE OF BOOKS ON

Social Welfare & Moral Philosophy

GIVEN IN HONOR OF HIS RVRENTS.THEIR SIMPLICITY
SINCERITY AND FEARLESSNESS

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kiUt in omnibus glorificetur Deus"
"In all things may God be glorified"

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FATHER PAUL OF MOLL

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The Very Reverend
FATHER PAUL OF MOLL

Francis Luyckx
Born at Moll, January 15, 1824

Entered the Benedictine Monastery of Termonde, June 25, 1846

Invested with the religious habit, August 24, 1848

Made his vows, September 30, 1849

Ordained Priest at Parma, Italy, November 21, 1858

Intrusted with the re-establishment of the abbey of AfRighem,

March 16, 1869
Founded the Monastery of Steenbrugge, September 21, 1874
Died at the Abbey of Termonde, February 24, 1896

Digitized by

THE VERY REV.

FATHER PAUL OF MOLL

A FLEMISH BENEDICTINE
AND WONDERWORKER OF THE
NINETEENTH CENTURY
1824—1896

EDWARD VAN SPEYBROUCK

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY A MEMBER
OF THE ORDER OF SAINT BENEDICT

SECOND EDITION

BENEDICTINE CONVENT, CLYDE, MO.
1914

Digitized by

Nihil Obstat

FROWINUS

Abbot Neo-Angelo Montanut

Imprimatur

MAURITIUS

Episcopug Sandti Josephi

St. Joseph, Mo., March 4, 1910

Digitized by

Recommendations.

Approval of Ecclesiastical Authority.

The author sent copies of his book both to Pope Leo xin., of
happy memory, and to Pope Pius x., and received the following
answers.

From Pope Leo XIII.

Dear Sir :

With your letter of October 17th, I received the book which
you sent to the Holy Father, to whom I presented it without delay.
His Holiness bids me inform you of the pleasure which your work
has afforded him, and that he gratefully accepts the sentiments you
have expressed.

I am also pleased to assure you that His Holiness has deigned
to send you a particular blessing.

I am, with sentiments of the most sincere esteem,

Yours etc.

Rome, Nov. 1, 1 901. Cardinal RampoIIa.

Mr. Edward van Speybrouck, Bruges.

Pope Pius X.

The Vatican, Sept. 28, 1903.

DEAr Sir :

I have the pleasure of informing you that His Holiness has
deigned* to receive with fatherly kindness the expression of your
devotedness. The copy of your work, "Father Paul of Moll/'
which you presented, was also received, and, in return, His Holiness
grants you a very special blessing.

Accept, dear Sir, the expression of my esteem.

Jean Bressan,

Chaplain and Secretary to His Holiness.

Digitized by

RECOMMENDATIONS.

Feast of St. Paul, 1898.
Father Schurmans, Superior of the Jesuit House in Bruges,
thanks Mr. Edward van Speybrouck for sending his book, "Father
Paul of Moll." It is replete with examples of wonderful cures,
and with edifying quotations. He hopes the book may be produc-
tive of much good.

Brussels, July 4, 1898.

Mr. Edward van Speybrouck.

The Queen has received the copy of
your booklet treating of the late renowned wonderworker, Father
Paul, the Benedictine. Her majesty graciously desires me to convey
to you her thanks for the presentation of your work.

Receive, dear Sir, the assurance of my great regard.

Bon Goff inet.

Baltimore, July 25, 1898.

Mr. Edward van Speybrouck.
My dear Sir :

I am in receipt of your letter and book-sketch of
the late Vei y Rev. Father Paul of Moll, O.S.B. It is a most inter-
esting little work and a credit to its author. The more I read of
it, the more I am delighted with its contents. Please accept my
sincere thanks for same, and for the pleasure it has given me. I
think a true translation of this little volume into English would be
very acceptable, and command a great sale.

Most respectfully yours,

Brother Alexius, Provincial.

Jerusalem, Aug. 16, 1898.

Mr. Edward van Speybrouck.

I am thankful for the interesting book
you have written about the Rev. Father Paul of Moll. I shall not
fail to recommend the reading of the same.

+ F. Ladovic Piavi,

Patriarch of Jerusalem,

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RECOMMENDATIONS.

Beuron, Dec. 14, 1898.

Mr. Edward van Speybrouck.

Upon his return from Italy, the Right
Rev. Archabbot was much pleased to find your very interesting
booklet. He has requested me to express his thanks. As Abbot of
Maredsous, he had the happiness of being personally acquainted with
the venerated Father Paul.

Please accept, dear Sir, the assurance of my high esteem.

P. Fidelis von Stotzingen, O.S.B.

Maria- Laach, April 18, 1899.

Mr. Edward van Speybrouck.

Our Right Rev. Abbot bids me thank
you very much for your beautiful book, which he received some
time ago. Please accept, dear Sir, his sentiments of respect and
gratitude.

Your humble servant in J. C.
P. John Blessing, O.S.B.

Moullns, Oct.. 15, 1901.

Mr. Edward van Speybrouck.

I hasten to thank you for the presenta-
tion of your work concerning the renowned Father Paul of Moll
After reading in V Univers the article of the Marquis de Segur,
concerning the saintly religious Father Paul, I procured a copy of
the first edition of his life, and I read it with a lively interest. I
have re-read with still greater satisfaction the copy of the last edi-
tion, which you kindly sent me. Many readers in our poor country
would derive much advantage from perusing it. I am, with many
thanks,

Respectfully,

»f< Augustine,

Bishop of Moulins.

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xii

RECOMMENDATIONS.

Cardinal Richard, Archbishop of Paris,
has received the work of Mr. Edward van Speybrouck, and expresses
his best thanks. October 17, 1901.

The Bishop of Orleans

thanks Mr. Edward van Speybrouck. He has read, at least in part,
the life of Father Paul of Moll, and if the facts related be well
established, the author certainly presents the public with a wonderful
and saintly life. October 30, 1901.

Cracow, Oct. 30, 1901.

Dear Sir :

Please receive my sincerest thanks for the beautiful and
interesting work concerning Father Paul of Moll. I am, dear Sir,
with profound respect,

+ J. Cardinal Puzyna.

Cardinal Perraud, Bishop of Autun,

Member of the French Academy,
I thank Mr. Edward van Speybrouck for sending me his edify-
ing account of Father Paul of Moll, and I beg him to accept the
expression of my sincere devotedness.

Oct. 30, 190 1.

Cardinal Matthieu.

Mr. Edward van Speybrouck.

Many thanks for your interesting volume.

Rome, Nov. 1, 190 1.

Mallnes, June 30, 1898.
The Redemptorist Sisters thank Mr. Edward van Speybrouck
for the precious book he has sent them, and which will be read with
the greatest interest and edification, as they were acquainted with
that saintly religious.

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RECOMMENDATIONS.

xiii

Routers, July 8, 1898.

Mr. Edward van Speybrouck.

I have received with great satisfaction

the marvelous sketch of Father Paul. I hope that the account of
his saintly life will be extensively circulated and thereby make better
known the life of this true wonderworker. I will recommend the
book to the best of my ability, for the honor of God and of the
renowned Benedictine Order.

The first English translation, by the Rev. Patrick Nolan, O.S.B.,
of Erdinton, published 1907 by the Catholic Union, Port Louis,
received from the Right Rev. Bishop of that diocese the following
approbation : —

Having read the life of Rev. Paul of Moll, O.S.B., I do not
hesitate to recommend it as a most interesting and edifying work.

It is very surprising and very consoling to find that in this
age of worldliness and unbelief, the miraculous gifts of the
Apostc lie age are still to be found in the simple and pure of
heart, such as the humble monk, Father Paul of Moll and the
devout Catholics who had recourse to him.

Yours in the Sacred Heart of Jesus,

P. Hendrickx, C.SS.R.

July 30, 1906.

P. A. O'Neill, O.S.B.

Bishop of Port Louis.

Nihil obstat
Maucotel

Prelum conceditur
Lizet, vicaire general.

Recommendation

of the

First American Edition

Published by

The Benedictine Convent, Clyde, Mo,

you kindly sent me of the translation into English
of the life of the Very Rev. Father Paul of Moll,
and I earnestly recommend this interesting and
edifying narrative of his saintly life.

I am, with great regard, very sincerely,

ST. JOSEPH, MO., March 2, 1910.

Rev. Dear Mother:

I thank you very much for the copy

Yours in Christ,

+ M. F. BURKE,

Bishop of St. Joseph.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

RECOMMENDATIONS .... 9

PRELIMINARY REMARKS .... 16
A SHORT SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF FATHER PAUL

OF MOLL 17

A WONDERWORKER OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 27

WONDERS OF FATHER PAUL ... 35
EXHUMATION OF THE BODY OF THE REV. FATHER

PAUL OF MOLL .... 202

SAYINGS OF FATHER PAUL . . . 217

LETTERS OF FATHER PAUL . . . 259

EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS . . . 277
A FEW RECENT FAVORS OBTAINED THROUGH THE

INTERCESSION OF FATHER PAUL . 286
LIFE OF ST. BENEDICT, PATRIARCH OF THE WEST-
ERN MONKS . . . . . 29I
MIRACLES WROUGHT BY ST. BENEDICT . 299
THE MEDAL OF ST. BENEDICT . . 339
, DEVOTION IN HONOR OF ST. BENEDICT . 348
AFFECTIONATE SALUTATIONS TO MARY . 349

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Preliminary Remarks.

In accordance with the decrees of Pope Urban
VIII., in the years 1634 and 1641, we claim for the
wonderful facts herein related, no more than human
credence. Therefore, the author, translator, and
publishers most humbly submit all herein con-
tained to the judgment and approval of holy Mother
Church.

These facts were published during the lifetime
of the witnesses, and their names and testimony
submitted to proper Ecclesiastical Authority.

A Short Sketch
of the

Life of Father Paul of Moll.

Transiit benefaciendo"

"He went about doing good.

February 29, 1896, an Antwerp newspaper pub-
lished the following : —

"Last Monday, February 24, 1896, there died
peacefully in the Lord, in the Abbey of Termonde, after
a long, serious illness, the sympathetic and celebrated
Father Paul. Dom Paul (in the world Francis Luyckx),
a Benedictine monk, had a profound knowledge of the
human heart, which he carefully concealed beneath an
exterior of the greatest simplicity.

"Animated by an unbounded love for the people,
he was the refuge of the poor, and especially of the af-
flicted. Although the lowly and humble were particu-
larly dear to him, he was also the counselor and the
confidant of persons of rank and high station in our
own country, as well as in England, France, Austria,
and Italy. All who came in contact with Father Paul
were captivated by his mysterious influence upon them,
the effects of which never left them.

"At Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp, and in the Campine,
he wonderfully but unpretentiously spread the devotion

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

to his holy Father St. Benedict. In all those places he
was an honored guest, and regarded as an angel of peace
and consolation.

"The services which Father Paul rendered suffering
humanity are incalculable; yet many did not obtain
publicity. Although his biography would supply enough
material for an extensive and excellent work, it may be
briefly summed up in these two words of the Gospel :
4 Transiit benefaciendoJ* — 'He went about doing good.'

"May he receive from the Almighty, as the reward
of his labors, the eternal companionship of his blessed
Father St. Benedict, whose great power of intercession
he labored so energetically to make known. May his
soul rest in peace."

The many friends and admires of the Rev. Father
Paul have repeatedly expressed the desire to see this
long-looked-for biography published. Many of them,
anxious to possess a memorial of this good religious,
insisted that we publish a few modest pages, recording
certain facts, mostly unknown but none the less remark-
able, which adorned the saintly career of Father Paul.

"I would like, before dying," remarked an aged
father of a family, "that the blessed memory of our
great friend and benefactor be religiously transmitted
to all my posterity. For I am convinced that Father
Paul is no less a powerful intercessor in heaven, than
he was a benefactor on earth."

As we were honored by the esteemed friendship of
the Rev. Father for many years, we gladly comply with
their desire, and embrace this as a most favorable

The Long-looked-for Biography.

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

opportunity of offering our tribute of reverence and
gratitude to his cherished memory.

It is not a biography of Father Paul that we publish,
but rather a collection of certain incidents in his life
that came to our knowledge. We follow, strictly speak-
ing no specified order in the following work: but simply
relate facts with a scrupulous regard to their authen-
ticity. We present them in unadorned simplicity and
truthfulness, and in that order which is best calculated
to attract the reader's attention. Added thereto are
some of the Rev. Father's letters, and a number of his
familiar sayings.

In conformity with the decrees of Pope Urban vn.,
dated 1634 and 1641, we attach no value to the facts
herein related other than that which is purely human,
and we humbly submit them to the judgment of holy
Mother Church.

It suffices to have been a witness of the profound
veneration in which Father Paul was held, to form an
idea of the eagerness with which anything referring to
his life, will be received by those who were wont to call
him, "the holy monk and the great wonderworker. "

Now especially is it providential, that God deigas,
through the instrumentality of the humble, to work
strange but consoling wonders thereby to confound the
Voltairians and other skeptics of our day. Before pre-
senting our readers with marvelous examples of the
wonders Father Paul wrought we shall call attention to
the various periods of his religious life, and the missions
entrusted to him, and endeavor to sketch the character-
istic traits of this celebrated Benedictine.

Father Paul was born at Moll, a village in the prov-

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

ince of Antwerp, January 15, 1824, and in baptism
received the name Francis. He was the son of Vin-
cent Luyckx and Ann Catherine van Balen. Francis
made his primary studies at the village school of Milleg-
hem, Moll, and completed his course at the college of
Gheel.

From early childhood Francis realized that he was
called to the religious life, and great was his joy, on
June 25, 1846, when he obtained admission into the
Benedictine monastery of Termonde. The following
August he was invested with the holy habit of St.
Benedict.

Then began his preparation for the great day, when
he would forever renounce the fleeting, foolish hopes of
the world, and be definitely numbered as a member of
the great family of the Patriarch of the monks of the
West. After a year of probation, he was admitted
(Sept. 30, 1849) to profession, and united himself
irrevocably to his Savior by pronouncing the vows of
poverty, chastity, and obedience.

In 1856, he went to Italy to continue his theological
studies in the celebrated college of the Benedictines at
Parma, and it was in that city that he for the first time
ascended the steps of the altar to offer the holy sacri-
fice for the living and the dead. He returned to his own
country in the year 1859, and remained at Termonde
until 1869, in which he was intrusted with the task of
reestablishing the abbey of Afflighem. In 1879, he
founded the monastery of Steenbrugge, about a mile
and a half from Bruges, of which he was prior until
1886, and which he left in 1887, to return to Termonde.

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

A Friend of the Poor.

Remembering his former life at Termonde, the
good Flemish people realized that Providence had re-
stored to the monastery a man of extraordinary virtue,
and the renown of Father Paul spread rapidly. It is
estimated that a million persons had recourse to him;
and being of an amiable and kindly disposition, he
received all with open arms. He was above all the
protector and friend of the poor, as the following inci-
dent testifies. A lady in the neighborhood of the
monastery was dangerously ill, and being asked if he
had visited her, Father Paul replied, "l never visit the
rich unless sent for, but with the poor it is different."

It seemed to be an innate desire of his charitable
nature to afford assistance to his neighbor. Often when
taking leave of his visitors he would inquire, with
touching insistence, if they had no further request to
make. On receiving a letter from a learned acquaint-
ance, he pushed it aside with a gesture of disappoint-
ment saying, "He does not ask for anything. " To a
friend in Oostcamp he said, "Ask of me whatever you
desire, and it will be procured for you. And continue
to ask, for when I am in heaven, my power will be
greater. "

So little repose did Father Paul enjoy, that he was
ever ready to render a service. A monk of the abbey
of Termonde remarked, "Whenever we came to the
chapel for the midnight Office, Father Paul was always
the first absorbed in prayer, although the younger
fathers quickened their pace to reach the chapel before
him. He was seldom seen without his rosary in his
hand." Another Benedictine father observed in regard

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

to Father Paul, "Never was there a monk in our Order
more devoted to penance and prayer."

Profound Humility.

Although Father Paul commanded the elements,
healed the sick, read the secrets of the human heart, and
foretold future events, he nevertherless shunned all
praise, and delighted in saying, "i am nothing, and I
know absolutely nothing."

In conversation with his brothers in religion he'
rarely referred to the wonders he wrought in favor of
those who had recourse to him. The day after the good
Father's death, there was general astonishment depicted
on the countenances of the Benedictines, at the reports
from every quarter of the innumerable and wonderful
cures he had effected.

The monks were doubtless aware of Father Paul's
popularity, judging from the fact that the majority of
the many visitors called for him; but they never suspect-
ed that their humble confrere possessed such great power,
although his fame was almost universal. Many were
the visitors and the letters that he received from France,
England, Germany, Holland, Italy and America, where
Father Paul had a host of most illustrious personages
as clients.

And not least among the prodigies accredited to him
was the graceful tact with which he concealed his good
works from the plaudits of men. Some other instances
of his profound humility are recorded, which are wor-
thy of our attention.

A Silent Jubilee.

Father Paul was ordained priest in Pavia, Italy,
Sunday, Nov. 21, 1858. Twenty-five years later he

Digitized by

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

observed the silver jubilee of his priesthood, and cele-
brated his holy Mass with more than usual fervor increas-
ed by the sentiments of joy and gratitude, which on that
memorable day filled his happy heart. A friend who
met him remarked, "The feast of the Presentation of our
Blessed Lady has ushered in a charming, spring-like day,
on the eve perhaps of a long, dreary winter. "

Father Paul replied, "Especially joyous is this day
to me, for it introduces the twenty-fifth anniversary of
my priestly ordination. "

"I congratulate you. I presume you celebrated
your silver jubilee with your religious brethren."

"Oh, no, but two knew of it, my guardian angel
and myself."

What the Bishop Thinks.

Father Paul related to one of his acquaintances the
circumstances of his last visit to Monsignor Faict,
bishop of Bruges. — "Before leaving Steenbrugge I
called on the bishop, and kneeling, said to him, 'My
Lord, I come to ask pardon for all the evil I may have
done during my stay in your diocese. ' 'Rise, I am
not worthy that you kneel before me : you have done
nothing but good, and you may return to my diocese
whenever you wish.'"

A curate once asked the same bishop what he
thought of Father Paul: and his Lordship answered,
"Father Paul is a saint."

The interests of the Belgian Benedictines certainly
could not have been entrusted to one better qualified
than Father Paul. He founded the abbey of Steen-
brugge: and reestablished the ancient and renowned
monastery of Afflighem. And in the accomplishment

Digitized by

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

of this extraordinary task, Father Paul received no
material aid save that which Divine Providence fur-
nished— asked for nothing, while he profusely distribut-
ed favors which gold could not purchase; and the
gratitude of the recipients provided all that was needed
for the completion of his work.

The monastery of Termonde was daily besieged by
a large crowd, as early as five o'clock in the morning,
and in turn every one was received by Father Paul.
The sick, the blind, and the paralytic, were either in-
stantly cured, or requested to recite a prayer, or make
a novena in honor of St. Benedict; and their prayers
always brought forth good results.

Father Paul performed wonders indeed wherever he
went, and he profusely exerted the supernatural power
given to him. It sufficed for the afflicted and miserable
to come in contact with him, in order to experience
that all their sorrow and suffering had vanished, and to
feel peace and joy pervading their happy hearts.

His memory is fondly cherished and affectionately
enshrined in the hearts of the people of Antwerp where
he visited frequently; and where the clients, who anx-
iously awaited his coming, might be numbered by
hundreds.

Father Paul's misson was not only the healing of
corporal and spiritual maladies. By his prayers and
counsel, those involved in business difficulties, were .
benefited and helped out of embarrassment. Malicious
persons often came to ridicule Father Paul, but at the
sound of his voice, or a glance of his eye, they aban-

Doily Besieged by a Large Crowd.

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

doned their design, and followed him to the confessional,
where he revealed to them the most secret deeds of their
life. The discouraged and despondent he uplifted by
the promise of a happier and brighter future.

He Visited Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, and Brussels.

Nor were Father Paul's labors confined to the neigh-
borhood of the monastery, his ardor and zeal extended
their limits. He visited Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp,
Brussels, and Malines; and all are indebted to him for
many favors.

There were but few convents in the villages and
towns through which he passed which Father Paul did
not visit The praise bestowed by the religious brothers
and sisters may convey some idea of the joy they expe-
rienced while entertaining him. The Rev. Mother of
one convent thus expressed herself : "if the blessing of
a priest be profitable, what may we not expect from the
blessing of so great a saint as Father Paul."

Neither charitable institutions, nor hospitals, nor
even prisons were forgotten. Father Paul always found
the sick to be cured, the unhappy to be cheered, and
aching hearts to be consoled.

His words were ever charming in their simplicity.
"You are ill. I shall pray, and tomorrow it will pass.,,
Or again, "Be at ease, do not worry — all will go well;
you will be astonished at all the happiness in store for
you." There is no misery to which human nature is
heir, that did not find relief through the mediation of
Father Paul. We have abundant evidence to show
that, even after death, his protection still continued, as
will be seen in the following pages.

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

His Death.

Our dearly beloved and deeply lamented Father Paul
died at the abbey of Termonde, Feb. 24, 1896, and
his funeral took place the Thursday following. As the
papers were not notified of his demise they contained
no obituary, yet an immense throng of people attended <
the funeral solemnities, and accompanied the remains
to the cemetery, thus shownig their veneration — which
was the crowning glory of Father Paul's obsequies.

Father Paul accounted for the extraodinary mission
which he had received from heaven in the following
manner : —

"in the beginning of my religious life, I was so ill,
that my life was despaired of. (Father Paul was dying
of consumption. ) I have been cured miraculously, and
I have but one lung. Our Savior appeared to me, ac-
companied by the Blessed Virgin, Saint Joseph, and
Saint Benedict. Our Lady held my hand, while our
Savior placed his right hand on my head, and said :

"Be cured; henceforth you will live for the consola-
tion of a great number of persons. I grant you every-
thing that you shall ask of Me for others. "

We leave it to the reader to judge whether the di-
vine promise has been fulfilled — and the life of Father
Paul may be appropriately summed up in the motto of
this book :

Transiit benefaciendo.

He went about doing good.

A Wonderworker in the Nineteenth Century.

Written by Marquis A. de Segur. *

"Truth on this side of the Pyrenees, error on the
other," remarked Pascal, and never did he speak more
truthfully. Famous on one side of the Belgian frontier,
unknown on the other — such too is the language I
would use, when speaking of a poor monk, whose re-
nown has filled all Flanders, and who had become
known to me through the present reverent tribute to
his memory.

Never before had I heard of the Rev. Father Paul,
a Benedictine of the abbey of Termonde, founder of
the monastery of Steenbrugge and restorer of the abbey
of Afflighem, who in 1896 crowned by a saintly death
a long life, adorned with heroic virtues and works, as
authentic as they are extraordinary.

Everything in this book is new, original, sometimes
eccentric, and is naught else than a collection of edify-
ing anecdotes, marvelous works, wholesome advice,
which at times are astounding and always soul-inspiring.
It is an unpretentious book devoid of ornament, claim-
ing no apparent plan or order; yet it exhales an odor of
truth, a profound faith, an unfeigned sanctity, and a
simplicity that often provokes a smile or calls forth a
tear. It is in a word, a publication of a class rarely
seen, a class which we should like to have better repre-

* This account of the Author's first edition of "Father Paul of
Moll," which was published in 1898, appeared in the V Univers of
Paris, March 20, 1899.

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

sented and more and more extensively circulated in the
reading world.

I Made Inquiries,

Before discussing the merits of the work, I wished
to be in a position to satisfy myself and to assure my
readers of its authenticity. To this end I made in-
quiries through the venerable pastor of Lorraine, a
subscriber to "l/Univers," as to the position of the
author, the names of the witnesses, and also of those
who were cured.

The letters and the information I received from
France and Belgium leave no doubt as to the trustwor-
thiness of the author and the truthfulness of this book.
It is without hesitation and with much pleasure I exert
my efforts to increase the circulation of an edifying
book, and also to give forcible expression to my admira-
tion of a contemporary monk, who in this second half
of the nineteenth century, has revived some character-
istics in the history of a St. Francis of Assisi, a St.
Vincent de Paul, and a Cure* of Ars.

From the very first lines of this brief and interest-
ing biography of Father Paul, which form the preface
of the book, appear its originality, its characteristic
simplicity, and the author's familiarity with the facts
he relates. So truly descriptive is it, that it would
seem as if the model, who posed before the author for
twenty years, had imbued him with his childlike and
lovable spirit.

The Childhood of Father Paul.

Father Paul was born at Moll, in the province of
Antwerp, January 15, 1824. Before entering the relig-
ious life he was known as Francis Luyckx. He began

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LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

his primary studies under the tutorship of a master,
unique in his method of imparting instruction.

As the greater part of the pupils lived at a distance
from the school, during the pleasant days in spring and
summer this kind-hearted teacher met his scholars half
ways, in a meadow surrounded by mighty shade trees.
The joyous and grateful pupils were well content with
nature's green sod for benches, and the branches of the
luxuriant oak for a roof. Here, amid the gentle rustling
of the leaves and the sweet music of the birds' song,
they attentively listened to their beloved master's words.

They loved their lessons, which were consequently
well learned and tenaciously retained. Happy the in-
spiration of the devoted master in thus harmoniously
combining instruction with the beauties of nature's God,
as manifested in the pure, fresh air, the clear, blue sky,
and the fragrant perfume of the meadow's newly culti-
vated soil — a class room admirably suited to inspire
youthful minds with heavenly knowledge and saintly
maxims.

Doubtless the cherished oaks of Moll, beneath
whose shade the future Apostle of Flanders so often
studied and meditated, must be akin to those grand,
old oaks beneath which St. Vincent de Paul watched
and guarded his father's flocks.

Francis made his classical studies at the college in
Ghent, situated about four miles from his native village.
A change has come over the scene. The teacher no
longer meets him half way; but he is obliged to walk a
long distance, rehearsing his lessons as he journeys
along a road where rich nature proclaims the glory of
God as revealed in His works.

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

Enters the Benedictine Monastery.

Although religiously inclined, and never for a mo-
ment abandoning his desire to embrace the monastic
life, yet it was only in his twenty-fourth year that he be-
came an inmate of the abbey at Termonde. Having
finished his novitiate September 30, 1849, he pronounced
his vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, which
made him a monk, but not a priest. Ten years of
study, prayer, and self-sacrifice were required before
he attained this sublime dignity, and so it was not until
he had completed his two years post-graduate course of
Theology at the celebrated Benedictine College in
Parma, Italy, that, November 21, 1858, he offered with
angelic piety the adorable Sacrifice for the first time.
He had therefore attained his thirty-fourth year when he
entered upon his priestly and apostolic career — a life
of prayer, sacrifice and miracles, which he pursued
without interruption for nigh forty years.

The circumstances which attended the conferring
of the extraordinary power of a wonderworker upon
him, are thus described by Father Paul himself : —

"At the commencement of my religious career, I
was so critically ill that my life was despaired of. Our
Lord appeared to me, accompanied by the Blessed
Virgin, St. Joseph, and St. Benedict. While Mary held
my hand, our Savior placed His hand upon my head
and said to me, *Be cured. Henceforth thou shalt live
for the consolation of a great number of persons; I grant
thee all that thou shalt demand of Me for others.' Sud-
denly I was cured."

From this mission so divinely entrusted to Father

Receives Extraordinary Power.

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL. 3 1

Paul proceeded his familiar simplicity, his impersonal
attitude, his seeming unconsciousness of the miracles
he wrought, considering himself rather a witness, than
a chosen instrument in the hands of God.

To the same cause may likewise be attributed the
use of haughty terms, especially when he answered un-
believers, and which sounded so incompatible with his
profound humility. Thus he would say, "This will be
accomplished because I tell you so," that / signifying
God through me. Just as the Cure* of Ars ascribed his
miracles to St. Philomena, so did Father Paul frequently
screen himself behind St. Benedict.

Be this as it may, one thing is certain — our Bene-
dictine Monk took the Lord at His word, and began
without delay his wonderworking mission.

His Fame Heralded Through Flanders.

After his return to the abbey of Termonde, which
became the central scene of his activity, and whence
his fame was heralded throughout Flanders and Belgium,
the people of those Catholic regions were deeply im-
pressed with his sanctity which daily increased until his
death. So successfully did Father Paul, in his humility,
conceal the marvelous power which he possessed, and
which he so unremittingly exercised, from his brother
monks, that although they could not fail to perceive his
popularity from the crowds that had recourse to him,
yet they were ignorant of the cause of his attractive
influence.

It is estimated that a million persons had recourse
to him, the majority of whom were benefited by him
spiritually or temporally; and hence his history is but

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LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

a recital of the wondrous works he performed. It would
seem as if the superhuman power imparted to Father
Paul depended solely upon his own discretion, so gener-
ously did he distribute favors along his path of life.

A witness of his works remarked : * 'Truly did it
appear that he wrought miracles by habit, and as a
matter of pastime. None can come in contact with him
and not feel better in themselves, and better disposed
toward others."

The city of Antwerp, which he frequented, fondly
cherishes the memory of his benevolence and amiability.
Hundreds of visitors, anxious to see him, lined the
street conducting to the house. Sadness, unrest, and
discouragement were depicted upon their countenances.
But as they came forth, their faces radiant with happi-
ness, bespoke the fullness of joy that pervaded their
hearts.

Helps in Manifold Needs.

Manifold, various and singular were the needs ex-
posed, the counsels sought, and the blessings which
radiated from Father Paul, even as the light and heat
that come forth from the sun. Those enrolled for
military service were guided by him in the selection of
a fortunate number; the young consulted him in their
choice of a vocation; those about to enter the married
state sought his advice and implored his prayers; and
weighty was the burden of human misery, suffering and
affliction, that appealed to his sympathetic heart And
in all cases, Father Paul proved himself the far-sighted
prophet, the wise counselor, the powerful intercessor
and the generous distributor of spiritual and temporal
gifts and favors.

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LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

Kindness, compassion, and tenderness were the
peculiarly attractive characteristics of Father Paul; he
made himself all to all : he wept, he smiled, he was even
jovial at times, in the exercise of his extraordinary
power. Even as St. Ignatius restored life to a chicken
in order to console a little farm girl, so likewise did
Father Paul cure beasts as well as men. Thus at one
time it was a sick horse, a workman's sole wealth; again
a dying calf would jump up, and frolic about, much tp
the amusement and mirth of the children of the farm.

When necessary he knew well how to season kind-
ness with rebuke, and to administer a severe but salu-
tary lesson; and opportunely he refused his help to
scoffers, to the unworthy, and the unrepentant.

Such are the tone, circumstances, and variety of
the wonderful examples cited, that God's action always
appears joined with the charity of the man. Wonder
follows wonder with such interesting diversity through-
out his strange life, that the book never becomes irk-
some or monotonous to the reader.

This man of God fearlessly opposed the counsel of
physicians, or the calculations of parents who objected
to a large offspring, and he procured for many a mother
the blessing of God through her children.

His Penitential Austerities.

The facts we have related are certainly sufficient to
justify Father Paul's reputation as a wonderworker. I
will now refer briefly to his penitential austerities.

"A man's value is his prayers, and the value of his
prayers, is that of his self-denial" — such is the stand-
ard set up by St. Vincent de Paul.

A mere glance at Father Paul's biography impresses

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LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

us with severity of the mortifications he so rigorously
practiced. So little time was allotted to rest, that he
was ready at any hour of the night to respond to calls
for his assistance. His bed was of the poorest, with
but a board for a pillow. He not infrequently slept in
a standing position with his back leaning against the
wall. He carried his mortifications to such an extent,
as to wear around his loins an iron chain with a hun-
dred protruding, piercing points. God rewarded his
self-inflicted sufferings, as He did those of St. Francis
of Assisi, by the generous bestowal of many graces.

As Father Paul had lived, so did he die. His saint-
ly death occurred at the abbey of Termonde, Monday,
Febuary 24, 1896.

The funeral solemnities took place in the abbatial
church, whither thronged a large concourse of people
to testify their veneration for Father Paul. His mortal
remains repose in the cemetery of Termonde; his tomb
is no less fruitful of wondrous works than his life.

This son of St. Benedict still continues his mission
of comforting, consoling, and healing, in the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ.

To me has been given the assurance, that if I make
know his life I shall participate in his benefits. God
grant this promise may be realized.

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Google

PART FIRST.
WONDERS OF FATHER PAUL.

In accordance with the decrees of Pope Urban viii.,
in the years 1634 and 1641, we claim for the wonderful
facts herein related, no more than human credence.
Therefore the author, translator, and publishers, most
humbly submit all herein contained to the judgment and
approval of holy Mother Church.

These facts were published during the lifetime of
the witnesses, and their names and testimony submitted
to proper Ecclesiastical Authority.

living in the neighborhood of Brussels, suffered from a
diseased member of her body, which the attending
physicians declared incurable. The patient, hearing
of the marvelous cures wrought at the monastery of
Termonde, sent her sister to Father Paul, who said to
her, "You have come to ask for the cure of your sis-
ter." "Yes," she replied, astonished at the Father's
discernment. "And your sister, treated in vain by the
doctors, implores the aid of St. Benedict." "Yes, Fa-
ther, but how are you aware of that?" "i know it
through my holy Father St. Benedict, and he will cure
your sister." He gave her some medals and holy water
for her sister, who soon after was miraculously cured.

A Farmer's Wile

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

Two Brothers, Engineers,

write from Malines, in the year 1887, as follows : —
"One of our sisters, as a result of a cold, con-
tracted a facial paralysis. Her physician exhausted his
medical skill in her behalf; but, despite his efforts, the
dread disease spread over the entire left side of her
face. Her left eye remained open day and night, she
could no longer close her mouth, and her lips became
contorted.

' 'We came to see Father Paul, related her sad con-
dition, and told him that we depended solely on him to
obtain her recovery. He seemed much interested in
her case, but instead of holding out any hope, he bade us
visit a person in the vicinity, and return to him. When
we called, it was seven o'clock, and the bell was tolling
the evening Angelus. He said to us, 'Be quiet, I pray/

"Such was the tone of Father Paul's voice, that we
were assured of his prayers being heard.

"And, indeed, the very moment our sister recited
the Angelus in Malines, she experienced an extraordina-
ry sensation. Her eye recovered its former activity,
the contortion of her mouth disappeared, and she was
cured. "

brought to Father Paul his daughter, age seven years,
*ho was suffering from a painful complaint in the nose,
which defied all relief. The Father prescribed a novena
to St. Benedict, and told him to apply some water, in
which he placed a medal of St. Benedict, to the child's
nose. In a few days the pain had left her.

An Olficol from Thielt

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

This same official also spoke to Father Paul about
his little son who was so weak that he was unable to
hold himself erect, and it was feared that he would be-
come a hunchback. Father Paul replied saying, the
boy would be cured. He prescribed a novena and the
use of St. Benedict's 'medal, and requested the man to
tell his wife she ought to wear her scapular, and not leave
it hanging on the bedpost.

In fact, the woman did have the careless habit of
hanging her scapular on the bedpost. The little boy
was cured, and later on entered a military school.

An Afflicted Lady of Bruges

tells how she was cured through the mediation of Fath-
er Paul.

"in 1886, I had been confined to my bed for four-
teen months by rheumatism. I had lost all control of
my lower limbs; the pain was unendurable, and the phy-
sician declared that nothing less than a miracle could
cure me.

My husband lifted me into a small wagon, and
conveyed me to the monastery, where we were met by
Father Paul.

" 'You remain,' he said to my husband, 'and look
to your wagon, I will attend to your wife/ He then
took me by the arm, bade me put my feet on the ground,
led me up the four steps to the entrance, and, I found
myself quite comfortably seated in the parlor.

" 'You are indeed in a serious condition : no blood
circulates through your limbs, nothing but water; but
you shall be cured after several novenas.'

3«

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

"Father Paul put on his stole, and for some time
prayed fervently, amid intense anguish, his forehead
bathed with perspiration. When he put his bands on
my head, I felt a sudden shock through my entire body.
Suddenly I felt relief; and within a month, I was com-
pletely healed. The physician beholding me, thus
restored to perfect health, desired to know what won-
derful remedy had brought about my cure. When I told
him what Father Paul had done he exclamed, *Ah ! did
I not tell you, that the physicians of the Most High
know these things far better than we do.' "

often brought sick persons to Father Paul from whom
they all obtained relief. At each visit he gave her a
handful of Benedictine medals, assuring her that the
sick persons to whom she would give or send a medal
would be cured, provided that they used them with con-
fidence.

On one of her visits, the Rev. Father gave her some
leaflets on which were printed the beautiful "Salutation
to Mary," which he was so fond of distributing. She
was to keep one herself and give the others to the mem-
bers of her family. Then she asked for another to give
to a friend of hers, but Father Paul said, "No, no, that
young lady won't recite this prayer."

The girl eventually went astray.

A Young Lady from Ursel

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

In Zele

there was a boy who was doubly afflicted. He had a
hump on his back, caused by the dislocation of a bone;
and one of his feet was turned inwards. His two sisters
brought him to Termonde. Father Paul pressed the
hump with his hand, and applied thereto some holy
water. He then took hold of the twisted foot, and
straightened it, without any apparent effort. And to
their amazement and joy he placed their brother on the
floor — completely cured.

Having expressed their gratitude for this sudden
cure, one of the sisters told Father Paul, that she de-
sired to enter an institution as a boarder, but did not
possess the required sum of money. "I need two thou-
sand francs," she said, "and have but the small share
of the inheritance left by my deceased parents."

"Don't you know of any wealthy relative ?" asked
Father Paul.

"No, I do not know of any."

"Well, then, make inquiries and when you have
found one, apply to him; he will give you what you
need."

After a long search she found a distant relative, a
rich cousin, to whom she made known her desire to en-
ter the institution and her lack of means. She did not
mention how much money she needed.

"The last two nights," replied her cousin, "I have
had the same dream. Some one came and told me to
give nineteen hundred francs to a person in need of
it. . . .You must be the person. Here is the money. "
And, in truth, nineteen hundred francs was the exact
amount the girl required.

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

A Possessed Woman

desiring the assistance of Father Paul to free her from
the evil spirits, made the journey on foot to consult
him. As she was crossing a certain bridge, she heard
an unearthly sound; then an invisible hand seized her
and threw her into the water. She succeeded in saving
herself. As she entered the monastery, Father Paul
thus addressed her : —

"You suffered much at the bridge." "Yes, Rev.
Father." "And you were thrown into the water." "Yes,"
answered the woman, astonished at the Father's insight.
"That was the last effort of the devil, the last attack of
Satan; you are welcome here, and you will soon be de-
livered from his assaults."

Father Paul prayed over her, and the happy woman
immediately recovered her liberty.

had lost all their children while still young, except one
infant whom the servant, accompanied by its mother,
carried to Father Paul that he might bless it. He re-
quested the mother to take the baby in her own arms;
and at the same moment, the servant mysteriously dis-
appeared. Father Paul then bade the lady never again
permit the servant to enter her house, as she was the
cause of all her misfortunes.

To on Acquaintance

from St. Michel, Father Paul said that near the monas-
tery he had met a young girl who was coming to be

Certain Parents

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

cured. A few paces away he saw a demon leave the
girl and flee, while at the same instant the patient cried
aloud, "i am cured !"

As the time to enlist for military service drew near,
many recruits had recourse to Father Paul that they
might draw a lucky number to exempt them from being
enrolled as soldiers. Those who complied with his
directions were never disappointed.

These were the usual conditions : to make a novena
in honor of St. Benedict; to wear a Benedictine medal;
and to attach a second medal inside the sleeve, near
the wrist of the hand with which they were to draw the
number.

Father Paul supplied the medals, and sometimes
foretold the number that would fall to their lot.

We here insert a few instances that have come to
our knowledge.

urged his nephew, who* was to be drafted, to follow the
directions which Father Paul would give him; and the
Father foretold a number that favored him.

The farmer gave the same advice to another neph-
ew who was soon to enlist. Father Paul said, "Oh,
you will draw the second or third highest number !"
and he drew 187, the highest being 189.

Another recruit from Oostcamp who sought counsel
from Father Paul declared, "The moment I put my

Fortunate Recruits.

A Former from Oostcamp

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

hand into the urn, I felt a number adhere to it, and it
was a fortunate number for me."

The same happened to a recruit from St. Michel.

A laborer living in Oostcamp, before drawing for
enlistment, made his confession to Father Paul; and he
mentioned that he had a great aversion to military serv-
ice.

The Rev. Father bade him recite five Our Fathers
and five Hail Marys every evening for two weeks. He
added; i 'You will draw a good number, 134." And it
happened as he had foretold.

has come to our knowledge. A recruit who had com-
mended himself to Father Paul by letters, received the
reply, "Count upon me."

The young man contrary to his expectations, drew
one of the lowest numbers. He communicated the sad
news to Father Paul, who sent him the following answer :

"We must always joyfully submit to the holy will
of God; when in fervent prayer, we ask a favor of the Al-
mighty, no matter what may happen, the final result
will always be good, as you will realize later."

Let the young man relate his experience : 'When
I presented myself for medical examination, and was a-
bout to remove my clothing, both physicians, who were
engaged in writing, without even looking at me, cried
out, "Too weak! March on!"

To secure Father Paul's intervention, it was nec-
essary, that a real cause for exemption from military

An Exceptional Cose

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

service exist, but no recruit need enter into detail, as
Father Paul was as well acquainted with the circum-
stances as the person interested.

had a son who was enrolled in the army. A neighbor
advised her to seek Father Paul's intercession. "i dare
not," she replied. "Well, I am acquainted with Father
Paul," said her neighbor, "and we will go together."
Father Paul thus questioned the woman : "is your son
well behaved?" "Yes, Rev. Father." "And does he
never blaspheme ?" "Never." "Then he shall draw a
lucky number; and in two years your other son shall
likewise draw a good number," — and it came to pass
in both cases, as Father Paul had foretold.

A farmer from the same place said to Father Paul,
"I have three cousins who are enrolled for enlistment
this year, would you do me the favor to procure a fortu-
nate number for them ?" "Yes, but never for the blas-
phemer." Two drew numbers that exempted them : but
the third, who was a blasphemer, failed, because he
was addicted to blasphemy.

Father Paul said, "I can never obtain anything for
those who are in the habit of cursing and blaspheming."

A Lady from Bruges

states that her eldest son was to present himself for en-
listment, and she had recourse to Father Paul. He told
her that her son would draw an unlucky number. "But

A Woman of Oostcomp

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

be not alarmed, your son will not become a soldier."
The son drew a number whereby he was exempted.

A second son, actuated by the same motive, alsa
had recourse to Father Paul, who informed him that
although he would draw an unfavorable number, he
would nevertheless, escape enlistment. "Your foot is
not in a good condition. Is it not so?" "Yes, Rev.
Father, it is swollen." "But that is not a sufficient
cause; another malady will afflict it, which will render
you unfit for military service." The foot became so
diseased, that the young man was disqualified for the
army.

applied to Father Paul in behalf of her brother who
was to be drafted. The Father made no promise, but
added that he would pray that God's will might be done
in regard to her brother. The young man unfortunately
drew a number which forced him to enter the army;
and his sister expressed to Father Paul her fears for her
brother's future welfare. "Do not worry, your brother
will behave himself. I shall pray for that" And in-
deed, the young soldier's conduct remained irreproach-
able.

at Termonde, Father Paul informed a friend from
Oostcamp, that, whenever he wished to recommend any
recruits seeking exemption from enlistment it would
suffice to send him their names, with the date of drawing,
and fortune would favor them.

A Girl from Antwerp

During His Lost Residence

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

A Lady,

accompanied by her servant, asked Father Paul to pray
that her son, a student, might pass a good examination.
The Rev. Father replied that if the young man would
stop blaspheming he would be successful, and moreover,
would soon have an opportunity of contracting a very
happy marriage. The young man gave up his bad
habit, and the predictions of the saintly Benedictine
were verified. After the lady had stated her request,
the servant with a nudge begged her mistress to inter-
cede also for her.

Father Paul spoke up at once : "Ah, you also wish
to ask a favor. You are thinking of getting married.
Very well, but don't accept the young man you have in
mind. He does not love his mother, and would not
make you happy. Wait a little, and a better man will
ask your hand." This prediction likewise came true.

advised an acquaintance, to seek Father Paul's assistance,
as his daughter was cross-eyed, and his son was to draw
for enlistment. The Rev. Father sent medals and in-
structions for their use. The girFs eyes were forthwith
adjusted, and the son drew a lucky number.

A Young Physician

writes, "in October 1889, I had to pass an examination,
but as I knew but little of the subject matter, I called
on Father Paul to ask his advice. He said to me,

A Friend of Father Paul

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

'During the few days that still remain, work hard at your
studies, then take the examination.'

"However, the dread of the coming ordeal pre-
vented my accomplishing anything. In my despair I
wrote to Father Paul stating that I could not possibly
succeed. I asked for a reply but no answer came. On
October 9th, I presented myself for the examination.
Contrary to my expectations, I succeeded.

* * Although it was impossible, humanly speaking, for
the Rev. Father to know the result of the examination,
I received the following letter from him on that very
day : —

"Praised be Jesus Christ!"

Sir: There is only one happiness for man, and
that is the one which he finds in God. One need not
search for it; God gives us sufficient grace to find it.
God is good : you shall soon have evident proofs of His
goodness.'" D. Paul, relig.

The same physician writes, "While I was a student
at the university, I laid my Benedictine medal which I
had received from Father Paul on the table one night
before going to bed, the next morning I discovered that
it had disappeared. To my great surprise I received a
letter from Father Paul the same day, inclosing a medal
which he advised me to wear."

A Widow

accompanied by her only child, a boy of eight years,
paid a visit to Father Paul when he was Prior of the
monastery of Steenbrugge. The Rev. Father placed his

Digitized by

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

hand on the head of the little boy and said, "Madam,
this child will be your joy, he will be a priest."

While the young man was pursuing his classical
studies, Father Paul would write to him before the
quarterly examinations and promise to pray for him,
that he might secure the first distinctions; and each
time he won the highest honors. But when the Rev.
Father made no mention of praying for that intention
the student was less successful.

When the young man entered the seminary, Father
Paul foretold that he would pass his examinations with-
out the least difficulty, a prediction which was verified
to the letter.

had failed in his examinations for three successive years,
and it was represented to Father Paul that the sole cause
of the young man's failure, was the fear of examination.
But, after mature deliberation, Father Paul attributed
the student's failure to prejudice on the part of the
examiners. "I shall pray for him, and next year he
will pass without any difficulty. " The student passed
/the examination quite successfully.

informed Father Paul that he desired to go to America
to find there a suitable partner, but that his mother did
not favor his project. "Do not undertake the journey,
you will find your America at home."

A Student of Thielt

A Gentleman of Woloon

Digitized by

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

This gentleman met at a watering place in his own
vicinity, a rich American lady whom he married.

A Rich Young Lady
consulted Father Paul on the subject of her vocation.
He spoke to her as follows : ' 'You are called to the
religious life, and despite your large fortune, you will
not find happiness, but trials, contradictions, and
tribulations elsewhere. Your parents will endeavor to
dissuade you, but you will persevere in your determina-
tion. Your brother is a consumptive, and the physicians
have pronounced him incurable. He will be cured
before the end of the year, but his recovery will not
prove prejudicial to your vocation." Both predictions
were realized; the young lady is in a convent and her
brother has been restored to perfect health.

At Steenbrugge

Father Paul, on coming out of the sacristy, saw a young
girl praying in the church. He went directly to her
and said, "You want to enter the convent, don't you ?"
"Yes, Father, but I have no means, and there is no one
from whom I can procure a dowry." "This is not
necessary; do not worry about that." Three days after
the young lady was received into a convent without a
dowry.

A Carmelite Novice
was so delicate that the sisters would not admit her to
profession. The Rev. Mother wrote to Father Paul in

Digitized by

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

regard to the matter. He replied that the novice should
be permitted to make her profession, and she would
then be cured. And it came to pass as he had foretold.

At the age of seventeen, I went to Father Paul to
ask him to cure one of our farm horses.

"Think first of yourself," he said, "for you are
very sick." I was, in truth, suffering from anemia.

Putting on his stole, he made me kneel down while
he recited a prayer over me. Then he said that I would
be cured and become a religious.

In a short time I was restored to perfect health,
and later on had the happiness of entering the convent.
And the horse was also cured.

sought the advice of Father Paul as to their vocation.
The younger, who desired to marry, he declared was
called to the conventual life. The elder informed him
that she intended to enter the convent, but Father Paul
counseled her not to embrace the religious life, as her
vocation was for the state of matrimony. But, despite
his admonitions, the older girl entered the convent, but
left before her novitiate had terminated. The younger
married, but was entirely disappointed in her expecta-
tions.

A Nun Writes:

Two Sisters

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

A Young Lody ol Antwerp

wished to marry, but her father could not be induced
to approve her choice. So she went to Termonde to
seek advice from Father Paul. When she and her com-
panion arrived at the church of the monastery, they
saw Father Paul at a distance, receiving a number of
persons. The young lady remarked to her friend, "i
do not wish to speak to him in the presence of so
many."

Scarcely had she uttered the words, than Father Paul
beckoned her to him and said, "You prefer to speak
to me in the sacristy?" "Yes, Rev. Father," she
answered. After the lady had stated her case, Father
Paul informed her that this marriage was the will of
God; that it would be a very happy one, and would
soon take place. "But you must pray fervently." Her
affianced made another equally unsuccessful attempt to
secure her father's consent and the young lady was sad
at heart. Eight days later her father was taken ill and
died. The following month the two betrothed came to
Father Paul, who advised them not to delay their mar-
riage any longer. As the Rev. Father had predicted,
the marriage was indeed a happy one. Four children,
two sons and two daughters were the joy of the family
fireside.

passing through Termonde by train, wished to indulge
his curiosity by seeing Father Paul, of whom he had
heard so much. He went directly to the church, and
was told that Father Paul was on the choir gallery. He

A Jesuit Father

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

went to the foot of the staircase and called from below,
"Are you Father Paul?" And although the Jesuit was
attired in secular dress, Father Paul in a similar tone,
answered, "Are you a Jesuit?" and left the son of St.
Ignatius surprised, somewhat mortified, but edified.

Another priest had charged a certain person to make
inquiry of Father Paul concerning the state of the soul
of a deceased relative. "She is in purgatory so long,"
he answered.

"Can that be true ?" thought the priest within him-
self. A long time afterwards he charged another person
to put the same question to the Rev. Father, but his
only answer was the dry remark, "I know nothing
about it." The pastor was not satisfied. "He can't
be so renowned, this Father Paul," he thought, by way
of consoling himself over his disappointment.

It was useless to call upon Father Paul through
curiosity.

came to seek help from Father Paul for her sick child
which had been given up by the physician. For some
time the infant had refused all nourishment and seemed
to have but a short time to live. Father Paul told the
mother to go home and nurse the little one. "But,"
said the woman, "my child can no longer take food."
"Go and do what I tell you." The mother obeyed and
her child was completely cured.

Another mother took her infant, which cried contin-
ually, to Father Paul. Hardly had she entered the sac-
risty, where the Rev. Father happened to be at the time,

A Poor, Desolate Woman

52 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

when the baby began to laugh heartily. Father Paul
said, "See, how powerful St. Benedict is!"

When Father Paul was in Antwerp a woman brought
her babe to him, which, although a year old, was so
small and delicate that she carried it in a box. The
Rev. Father blessed the child and said to the mother,
"Come back in three weeks, and the child will be in
normal health." After three weeks the woman returned
full of joy, carrying the babe in her arms. It had
grown to be a beautiful child admired by everyone.

A Little Girl from Antwerp

had been paralyzed for a year. Her parents took her
to a house where Father Paul was accustomed to receive
the crowd of visitors who came to see him at Antwerp.

"Take courage," he said to the parents, "this child
will get well. Make a novena to St. Benedict and at
the end of it she herself will come to meet me." After
the prayers on the eighth day of the novena, the moth-
er, who held the child on her knees, placed her on the
floor to see whether she could stand; and to the great
astonishment of the family, the little girl began to walk
with perfect ease. On the following day she went to
meet Father Paul, as he had foretold.

A Poor Little Cripple
was carried to the monastery church of Steenbrugge; he
supported himself painfully with the aid of a crutch.
Father Paul, seeing the poor unfortunate boy, said to

Digitized by Google

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

him, "Go, hang your crutch on the pedestal of the statue
of St. Benedict. Then you will be able to walk."
The boy did as he was ordered, and was instantly cured.
He left the church crying aloud, as if wild with joy.

Another little cripple who used crutches came to
church with his mother. Father Paul who was about to
celebrate Mass, said to the poor child, "At the moment
of consecratiop, take your crutches and place them on
the communion rail. " The child did so and was cured.

More than 200 crutches might recently be seen
hanging on the walls of the abbey church of Termonde,
left there by cripples cured by Father Paul.

in 1886, when the pupils of the Franciscan Convent at
Steenbrugge were dismissed, the two daughters of a
gardener in the neighborhood entered the monastery
church, where they saw Father Paul speak to a good-
natured old man who supported himself on a cane and
walked with great difficulty. The Rev. Father then
made the Way of the Cross twice on his knees, again
approached the old man, took his cane and placed it
upon the pedestal of the statue of St. Benedict.

After this the old man also made the Stations and
walked without the least difficulty.

writes from Brussels, January 8, 1897 : "it is astonish-
ing how people from all parts of the country have

One Evening

A Priest

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

recourse to the powerful intercession of Father Paul.

"in 1887, at the castle of . . ., the eldest daughter
of the Countess . . . was dangerously ill. She suffered
for a long time from a very violent fever. As the
Countess could not leave her child, she sent a woman
to Father Paul to request him to pray for the recovery
of her daughter. Precisely at two o'clock the same
day, the fever abated and the patient began to feel bet-
ter. At that hour it was that the request of the Countess
was made known to Father Paul."

writes: "in 1842, my father, then a young man, went
by train to Antwerp, to take part in a festival. The
train was wrecked, several persons were killed, and
many injured. My father was severely wounded : his
nose broken, and a splinter penetrated the bone. In
the year 1880 he was taken seriously ill, and suffered
from a torturing headache. The physician said that a
tumor had formed in his head, and was attacking the
brain, and that death was imminent. My father received
the sacraments.

"As a last resort, my mother went to see Father
Paul, and although she arrived in the morning, she did
not succeed in speaking to him until three o'clock in
the afternoon, so great was the throng gathered to con-
sult with him. Father Paul simply said to her, 'Let us
pray together for his recovery/ which they did for some
time. I was in my studio in Ghent, and at half past
three — mark well the hour — my door opened, and to
my amazement, I beheld my father. His first words

<&sr

An Artist of Ghent

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

were, *I feel that I am cured, but I am dying of hunger.
Give me at once, some coffee, bread and butter.' The
physician declared that his sudden recovery was abso-
lutely inexplicable.

accompanied by Brother Placidus, passed by a lumber-
yard in Antwerp where twenty men were at work, and
noticed a robust young fellow, who had his arm in a
sling. The Rev. Father humorously reproached him
for his laziness. The poor, young man replied that his
wrist was dislocated. Father Paul bade him remove
the bandage, touched the affected part with his hand,
and immediately after, the young man pushed a heavily
loaded barrow with perfect ease.

of the Sisters of St. Joseph, in Bruges, were one day out
for a walk. At Steenbrugge Avenue they met Father
Paul in company with another Benedictine. Father
Paul noticed in the ranks a little girl, who wore a very
large hat to protect her weak eyes. The Rev. Father
took the child by the hand and made her step out from
the ranks; then kindly raising the wide rim of her hat,
which almost covered her entirely, he said to her, "You
have very bad eyes, my little one. You must be cured.
Take this medal, wear it around your neck and pray
fervently to St. Benedict.." Two days afterwards the
little girl was cured.

Father Paul,

In 1881, the Pupils

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

The Number of People

whom the good and saintly Father Paul consoled, healed
or converted on his journeys, is incredible. He ad-
dressed the unfortunate and consoled them in their
miseries. Happy were the third class passengers (Fa-
ther Paul always travelled third class) who met him on
the train; without their expecting it, and sometimes in
spite of themselves, Divine Providence showered favors
upon them. The people of Steenbrugge tell us, that
Father Paul often visited them unexpectedly. He would
come in and say, "My friend, how long has it been
since jou went to confession? It is necessary for you
to go now; come to my confessional, you shall have
finished in five minutes."

A Woman from Milleghem,

having a very crooked spine, came to the monastery of
Termonde. Father Paul straightened her up by taking
hold of her shoulders and saying, "Thus should you
walk; quite straight." Whereupon the woman found
herself relieved of her affliction.

A Young Man from Bruges,

suffering from a felon on his thumb, paid a visit to
Father Paul. Pressing his finger upon the felon, the
Rev. Father asked, "Do you feel the evil leaving you ?"
"No," said the young man. "But I do," answered
Father Paul. The finger was cured.

Digitized by

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

Father Paul cured a carbuncle on the neck of a
young man from Bruges by simply putting a little saliva
on it.

living at Aeltre, brought her niece to Termonde im 1892.
She was a very beautiful girl, aged twenty years, but
suffered from an abscess in her mouth which bled con-
tinually, and defied every remedy. Father Paul, having
first given her a little lecture on the danger to which
many young girls are exposed in the world, and after
admonishing her to be prudent, prescribed a novena;
then he touched the wound with his finger, and the
young girl was cured.

was carrying a load of chemical fertilizer to Bruges.
He took upon his shoulders a sack weighing 150 kilo-
grams. As he did not at once succeed in adjusting this
heavy load, a workman tried to help him by pushing
the sack with a blow of his hand. Unfortunately it
happened that the blow was too powerful; the poor
man felt a rending of the tissues within his side, accom-
panied with such severe pain, that he was forced to
drop his burden. The physician to whom he was taken
declared the case to be very serious and prescribed a
poultice, to be followed by an application of leeches.
The farmer, however, had a horror for the latter treat-
ment. Having been acquainted with Father Paul, he
went to consult him. The Rev. Father placed his hand

An Old Woman,

A Former from Oostcomp

5«

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

on the farmer's side and said, "Do you suffer here?"
"Yes," replied the farmer. "Bah! bah! don't put
any leeches on, and don't think of it any more." The
cure was instantaneous.

• Father Paul

was present at the family meal of a woman, who kept a
fish store in Antwerp. The Rev. Father left the table
for a moment and the salesgirl who had been ill thought
that she would ascertain if Father Paul were as powerful
as rumor made him. "i am going to sit down on his
chair, and if I am instantly cured, I too will believe in
his sanctity." Scarcely had she taken Father Paul's
place than she exclaimed, "i am cured."

The lady's son, suffering from a sprained foot, was
lying on a lounge. Father Paul making the sign of the
cross on the sprained limb, said to him, "in two days
your foot will be well," and his words were verified.

Another lady who kept a tobacco store in Antwerp,
had a paralyzed arm, which the physician entertained
no hope of curing. Father Paul listened to her com-
plaints, and passed his hand from the woman's shoulder
to her arm, and, at once, she was enabled to use it
freely — and it never after caused her any annoyance.

A Woman and Her Sick Daughter
came from Antwerp to the monastery at Termonde.
Father Paul said to them, "You are both quite well."
"Oh ! no," said the mother, "my daughter is sick.

Digitized by

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

Should we not consult a physician?" "Go home, all is
well." The lady asking him when he would again come
to Antwerp, he answered, "I shall never come again."
When the two visitors returned home, the sick daughter
was completely cured. And true to his word, Father
Paul never again came to Antwerp.

Later on the same lady came back to consult Father
Paul in regard to several affairs. She had a severe pain
in her shoulder but did not speak of it. To her great
astonishment Father Paul gave her a gentle tap on her
aching shoulder and the pain ceased.

In 1883, a Workman from Steenbrugge

suffered from a severe attack of heart disease, and the
physician prescribed for him a period of absolute rest.
"But who will provide food for my thirteen children?"
said the laborer to the physician. Father Paul paid a
short visit to this poor sufferer and said to him, "You
must still work for a long time for your children, I
shall cure you." The laborer regained his health, and
could continue to support his numerous family.

A Young Lady from Antwerp
having fallen down stairs, was very severely wounded
on the ear. The physician having bandaged it, pre-
scribed complete rest. Father Paul, an intimate friend
of the family, came unexpectedly on the second day
after the accident and said to her parents, "i have
come, because I know that not all has been well here

Digitized by

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

since seven o'clock the day before yesterday." The
young girl hearing the voice of Father Paul, ran up to
him at once, forgetting all about the strict orders of
the physician.

"Hello!" said Father Paul to her, "why these
bandages about your head ? Take them off right away !"
The young lady obeyed, and to the great astonishment
of all, no trace of the wound was to be seen.

who was ill, begged her brother-in-law to ask the
prayers of Father Paul for the recovery of her sick
child. The Rev. Father replied, "The little one will
be cured, and the mother also." Both patients were
cured at once.

"My sister's eyes were in a very bad condition. I
went to Steenbrugge to tell Father Paul. Without know-
ing my sister, the Rev. Father replied that she would
soon be cured. He prescribed a novena to St. Benedict
and gave me a medal to dip into the water with which
she was to wash her eyes. From the first day of the
novena, a noticeable improvement was observed, and
before the end of it my sister's eyes were completely
cured.

"When my father died, I called on Father Paul,
and told him how deeply I felt my sad bereavement.
My father had lived in Ostende, and had never met

A Farmer's Wife from Moerbrugge

A Servant Girl Writes from Roulers :

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

Father Paul. Yet he said to me, 'Oh, your father was
an excellent man; there are few so good as he; he will
not have to remain long in purgatory.'"

confiding in Father Paul, told him of fears that some
act of his would be reprimanded by the government.
"But, if I approve of it." — The friend was never blamed.

This same friend, anticipating trouble from a rash
act on his part, spoke of it to his wonderful counselor.
Father Paul said, "i put my seal upon it." Instead of
censure, his friend was congratulated for his act.

whose mother was very sick, had a lawsuit about a piece
of land. The lawyers for both parties were prepared
to present the case in court, and in the meantime the
woman was advised to ask Father Paul's prayers for a
just decision. Father Paul answered, "The case will
not be brought to court, and your mother will be
cured." Her mother was cured, and, contrary to all
expectations, the matter was adjusted privately.

Another lady had on several occasions asked Fath-
er Paul to pray for the ending of a protracted family
lawsuit, but the matter went from bad to worse, until
finally she received a letter announcing that there was
no hope of a favorable issue. The lady had to make a
short journey the same day. Just as she was about to

A Friend,

A Certain Lady

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

step into the train, she saw Father Paul at the station
and hastened to inform him of the discouraging news.
But he replied, "Don't tell me another word about it;
the case has been settled."

In the evening the lady heard that, at the last mo-
ment and contrary to all expectations, she had won her
lawsuit, and that the point in question had been decided
at the very hour in which Father Paul had told her of it.

A Former of Oostcomp,
whom Father Paul frequently visited during his stay in
Steenbrugge, relates the following incidents : —

"My sister lost one eye, and was threatened with
the loss of the other, which despite all the oculist's care,
became worse. Father Paul placed his hand over my
sister's eyes, gave her a medal, and prescribed a novena
in honor of St. Benedict. The third day her eyes were
cured.

On Another Occasion,
I was taken suddenly and seriously ill, just after mid-
night, and told my brother that I was dying. I desired
at once a Benedictine Father. I preferred Father Paul :
but as the good monk was old, and perchance could not
conveniently come, I told my brother to ask for some
other Father. When my brother reached the monastery,
much to his surprise and gratification, Father Paul
opened the door and was ready to accompany him.
The kind Father assured me that I would soon be well
again and added, 'it was high time for you to send for
me; if I had not come, you would have died tonight.'

Digitized by

SOME OF HIS WONPERS.

As the Monastery
had bought a pig from us, which took sick, Father Paul
asked me to come. I did so and he said to me, 'The
pig is sick, cure it.' 'What ! I ? I do not know how.

Ah, if I were Father Paul, then ' 'Why certainly,

you must cure my beasts, and I shall cure yours.' If
you wish, I shall try our usual remedies and come back
tomorrow.' 'No, no ! you cannot leave until the pig
is cured,' he said smiling. I took care of the pig until
evening, and when I left, it was cured.

"For two years we had ill luck with our pigs; as
many of the young died. On being informed of this
Father Paul advised me to hang a medal of St. Bene-
dict on the wall of the piggery and dip a medal into
the food of the beasts. We did so, and from that time
on, we had no more losses."

A Former, Living in the Neighborhood

of Steenbrugge, was untiring in the praises of good
Father Paul. "How often," said he, "did we have the
happiness to receive him into our house. At each of
his visits, some unforeseen good fortune was bestowed
upon us. He was truly goodness personified, a true
father to us, obtaining for us all the favors we asked,
and even anticipating our secret wishes. His departure
from Steenbrugge was regretted by everyone." This
farmer tells the following wonderful stories : —

His eldest daughter had been injured by brambles;
her hand was badly swollen and caused her intolerable
suffering. Father Paul came, took a medal of St.

Digitized by

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

Benedict, dipped it into water and let some drops fall
from his fingers upon the injured hand. The pains
ceased immediately and soon after the Rev. Father's
departure, the swelling disappeared.

A farmer had in his stable a calf that was at the
point of dying. Father Paul leaned over the beast,
stretched on the ground and barely breathing, and
pressing his hand upon its head, said to the farmer,
"Truly, one might say that it is no longer sick; just
look! it appears to be cured." The farmer placed a
pail near the calf. With a sudden bound, it was on its
feet, and greedily consumed the contents of the pail.
There was no further doubt about its entire recovery. —

affected with cancer of the stomach, heard people talk
of a Benedictine monk at the monastery of Steenbrugge,
who performed miracles with the aid of St. Benedict's
medal. Desirous of verifying these rumors, he took
the train to said place and there met an acquaintance,
who asked him whither he was bound, "i am going to
see the Father with the medals," he said laughing, "it
seems his medals cure all kinds of evils."

Having arrived at his destination, and before he
was able to open his mouth, Father Paul said to him,
"You have come to see the Father with the medals; go
home and purify your conscience; then after nine days
return, and I shall cure you." Struck by the Father's
insight, the man did as he was told, and was cured.

A Man from Ghent

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

In 1886, at Steenbrugge

Father Paul said to the wife of a tradesman: "Don't
allow your children to go out, for there is a mad dog in
your neighbor's field. I have deprived him for an hour
of all power of movement. I shall tell the gardener to
kill him."

writes : "My sister's child was reduced almost to a
skeleton, and could not digest even a spoonful of milk,
The physician's prescriptions were of no avail. The
child's nurse received a visit from her mother, who
urged the parents to have a trustworthy person make a
pilgrimage to the monastery of Termonde, and see Fa-
ther Paul. The parents selected the children's gov-
erness, a very devout person, who started, with hopes
of arriving in time for Mass the following day that she
might receive Holy Communion. By some mistake she
got off at the wrong station. As she would be obliged
to wait several hours for the next train, she determined
to continue her journey on foot. At the church of the
Benedictines, Father Paul met her and said, 'Madam,
you made a mistake as to the station, you must be very
tired; and then you have eaten nothing since yesterday.'
The Rev. Father bade the astonished governess, 'Go
to a restaurant for some nourishment, and come back.'

"When she had returned, and made known to Father
Paul the object of her visit, he informed her that the
child was incurable, and had defied the efforts of the
most celebrated physicians to afford relief. 'Let both
you and the nurse perform a novena; I shall also make

A Young Lady of Brussels

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

one. Pray with confidence, and I hope that child will
be cured.' The last day of the novena the boy recov-
ered completely, and is now a young man enjoying
excellent health.

writes that for eight years he was a victim of the falling
sickness. In the year 1891, he called upon Father Paul,
who gave him every assurance of a speedy recovery.
On wearing the Benedictine medal, and completing a
novena in honor of St. Benedict, he was restored to
perfect health.

Four years later, the same man had a severe attack
of throat trouble. Father Paul blessed his throat, and
his cure was instantaneous.

suffered for a year from nervousness and rheumatism.
Four physicians had treated her without success. Finally
she applied to Father Paul, and he assured her that
she would be well in a few days. A little powder of
the miraculous roses of St. Benedict and a novena re-
stored her health.

The son of this woman was infected with a horrible
eczema, which defied all medical skill. Father Paul
prescribed a novena in honor of St. Benedict, and the
washing of the sores with water touched by a medal of
St. Benedict. He gave assurance of a prompt cure.

Nine days later, the woman brought her boy to the

An Invalid of Thiell

A Woman of Steenbrugge

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

monastery in the same sad condition. "You have not
followed my directions," said Father Paul,
"i did not use the water."

"Go home and do what I told you." The woman
obeyed, and obtained the cure of her son.

A cousin of the same woman, a consumptive, given
up by the physicians, was perfectly cured by Father
Paul, and later on entered a convent in Merckem.

from a decayed tooth, contracted a most painful disease
of the tongue. He wrote to Father Paul requesting a
cure. The Father replied, "You may be cured, if you
cease to blaspheme : you have cancer of the tongue in
punishment for your blasphemies." So long as the man
abstained from swearing, his condition daily improved :
but he unfortunately resumed his former evil habit, his
malady increased, and death followed.

Another man, with a cancer on his lower lip, went
to Father Paul and asked him to cure it. The Rev.
Father pressed the lip between his thumb and index
finger, and said that he had taken away the cancer. It
had disappeared.

A Devout Woman, Aged Sixty-six Years,

an inmate of the great Beguine Convent of Ghent, had
a cancer on her breast. In 1888 she came to Termonde
and told Father Paul that the physician had decided to
perform an operation for the removal of the cancer.

A Man of Caneghem,

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

"No operation, " replied the Rev. Father, "i shall
pray for that."

The cancer disappeared by degrees, and at the end
of six months, the lady was entirely free from it. The
lady, who herself told the story in 1897, appeared in
fact, to be in perfect health, and spoke of Father Paul
with the greatest reverence and gratitude.

The Old Housekeeper of a Pastor in Ghent,

reports the following facts : —

"Twenty- five years ago I had a cancer on my back.
As the physicians were not able to cure it, I had re-
course to a country-woman, a nature-healer, reputed
to heal those afflicted with cancer. Finally, not being
able to continue in my service, I was on the point of
returning to my native village, when some one spoke
to me of Father Paul. I went to consult him. Seeing
me he said, 'i ought to have gone away this morning,
but knowing that you would come, I stayed at home.
Yes, yes, I shall help you; for I know how to cure can-
cer. The good woman who treated you with caustics,
will die soon; but don't tell her.'

"The Father gave me some medals and prescribed
novenas. After a few weeks, the cancer with all its
ramifications dropped out. But at the same time, a
growth appeared on my forehead, the nature of which
could not at first be determined. I suffered for six
months, and then a new cancer was detected. Again
I had recourse to Father Paul. He gave me a little
powder of the miraculous roses of St. Benedict to apply

Digitized by

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

to the cancer, and at the end of eight days I was cured.
Since then, thank God, I have been well."

told me that she had asked Father Paul to cure her aged
father. The Rev. Father replied, "Your father will not
be cured. Your sister will be ill and receive the last
sacraments. But do not fear, she will recover." All
this happened as foretold.

A Rich Man

of our village was opposed to the marriage of his daugh-
ter, in consequence of which she took sick. The young
lady went to Termonde, accompanied by my sister.
Father Paul said to her, "You are sick, but you will
be cured if you marry; if not, you will die. Tell this
to your father." The latter paid no attention to the
warning, and his daughter died.

a Beguine religious from Ghent went with my sister to
Termonde. The Sister told her that Father Paul had
spoken to her as one knowing her most secret thoughts.
She suffered very much from toothache and, although
she made no mention of it, Father Paul placed his hand
for an instant over her mouth, whereupon the toothache
stopped.

After this the religious and my sister went to the
church where Father Paul made them kiss a relic of St.
Benedict. Seeing a woman seated in a pew, the Rev.
Father beckoned her from afar also to come and kiss
the holy relic. The woman tried to rise but could not.
Father Paul then went up to her, and to their great as-

A Maiden from Ghent

Four Years Ago

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

tonishment, removed from the woman's head a large,
vicious beetle, which he threw on the floor and stamped
with his foot. Then the woman was able to rise and
kiss the holy relic.

writes, April 17, 1897 : "Once only I had the honor of
seeing Father Paul. That was at Steenbrugge about
ten years ago. I went there to ask his advice with re-
gard to a growth that appeared on my breast and caused
uneasiness to my family and two physicians. They
were afraid it might develop into cancer. I spoke of
it to Father Paul without telling him on which side the
tumor was. But the Rev. Father put his thumb right
on the sore spot and kept it there for some moments;
then he told me it was nothing but a gland which would
disappear, and that I must not apply any salve to it or
allow it to be lanced. I followed his counsel and the
gland disappeared.

"My sister, who accompanied me, was deaf in her
right ear in consequence of an abscess that had perfo-
rated the ear drum. I told the Rev. Father that my
sister desired to consult him regarding her affliction.
'She will never be cured of it,' he replied, 'because the
tympanum is perforated, and that never heals.'

"What struck us most was the great humility of this
saintly man ; one would have taken him for a lay-broth-
er rather than a priest."

A Young Lady from Molines

"bar

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

A Young Man

hearing reports of the wonders wrought by Father Paul
by means of the medal of St. Benedict, induced a friend
to accompany him on a visit to the "medal man," as, he
derisively called him. After a long delay, Father Paul
entered the parlor and thus rebuked his two skeptical
visitors, "The medal man will not receive you."

A Young Lady from Antwerp writes;

"in 1886, I suffered intensely from a bad tooth, and
my gums and cheek were very much inflamed. The
dentist to whom I went to have the tooth extracted,
declared that an operation would now be dangerous, and
that I should wait. Having learned that Father Paul
was in Antwerp at the time, I went and asked his ad-
vice. 'Have you confidence in St. Benedict V he
asked. I answered, 'Yes.'

" 'Well take this medal and dip it into all you drink,
also hold it for a moment in your mouth on the side of
the bad tooth and say, "St. Benedict, help me and pray
for me !" Do not have the tooth pulled; it will fall out
of itself.'

"My toothache disappeared and the bad tooth came
out shortly afterwards. Since that time I have not
suffered from my teeth.

'Later on I suffered greatly from stomach trouble,
and as no remedy gave me any relief, I went to Ter-
monde to see Father Paul. After the first word I spoke
to him the affliction left me.

"My aunt, living in Hal, one night discovered a

Digitized by Google

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

burglar in her house. She became so frightened that
she was seized with a severe nervous disorder which
made her speechless and produced symptoms of epilep-
sy. After she had received the last sacraments I wrote
to Father Paul, and he answered that my aunt would re-
cover. In a short time she was cured."

The Aged Father of a Rev. Benedictine
was very ill, and Father Paul had been asked to go to
see him. Returning to the monastery he said to his con-
frere, "Your father will not be cured, but you mother
will live fourteen years longer. " The mother died after
fourteen years.

Two Brothers

afflicted with the same malady, had recourse to Father
Paul. To the first youth he said, "i shall cure you,
because of your great confidence, but comply strictly
with my directions." Father Paul gave similar instruc-
tions to his brother, but failed to add, "i will cure
you." The younger brother, who was inspired with
confidence, rapidly improved; while the disease of the
latter daily increased.

He returned to the monastery and said to Father
Paul, "My brother and I followed your counsel exactly;
he is entirely cured, but I am worse than before." "i
am in no wise astonished, my friend," answered Father
Paul. "Your brother's great faith combined with the
efficacy of the medal restored him to health. When

Digitized by

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

you came here with your brother, you said within your-
self, 'This simple Father can do no more than I ; it is
not here that I shall obtain a cure !' Now indulge your
fancy, I can do nothing for you."

A Priest from Brussels
says that two of his cousins, suffering from asthma
consulted Father Paul. The Rev. Father gave each a
medal and prescribed some prayers. Both recovered. *

A Child,

aged five years, the son of an inhabitant of Lokeren,
was subject to frequent convulsions. His father brought
him to the monastery, and Father Paul said to him,
"Your child is cured and will remain so," which was
in reality the case.

A Canon Relates:

"My sister having been given up by the physicians,
was at the point of death when she asked me to write to
Termonde. Father Paul replied that no matter what
the physicians said, he guaranteed that my sister would
recover. He ordered the patient to dip the medal into
all beverages and make a novena with him in honor of
St. Benedict.

"Contrary to all expectations my sister recovered
and has been well ever since."

A Redemptorist Father says that his sister had,

Digitized by

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

below her knee, a very troublesome tumor the size of a
pigeon egg. She absolutely refused to have recourse
to a physician, but at last came to Father Paul for help.
"Make a novena," he said to her, "and the tumor will
disappear."

"Now on the seventh day of the novena the tumor
loosened itself without my sister noticing it, and fell to
the ground. Not even a trace of it remained."

The Prior

of a Trappist monastery, who had met Father Paul but
once, went to consult him concerning several matters.
Before the Prior had time to state the object of his vis-
it, Father Paul briefly answered all the questions he in-
tended to propose: and the results were as Father Paul
bad predicted.

Father Paul

told me that a boy, who had cancer of the tongue, asked
him to be cured. The boy went away buoyant with
hope. While he was on his way, the cancer fell to the
ground.

A Young Lady from Holland,
who had been subject to asthma fiom her childhood,
came in 1885 with her mother to Steenbrugge. She
complained piteously of her sufferings.

"Do you wish to be cured?" asked Father Paul.

"indeed, I do."

Digitized by

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

"Well, don't you feel that you are cured?"
Her cure was instantaneous, and there has been no
relapse.

a friend of Father Paul, being hopelessly ill, requested
a mutual friend to ask the prayers of that saintly relig-
ious. Father Paul replied, "This druggist will not die
yet; he has done so much good." The patient recov-
ered and lived a few more years.

at present curate in Hainaut, writes (June 26, 1908) as
follows : "During my Easter vacation in 1882, I went to
see Father Paul in Steenbrugge in order to consult him
about an important personal affair. If I remember
correctly, I bad not made myself known to him. After
I had submitted my case to him, I saw him lower his
head; afterwards he asked me, /Have you not been a
religious ?'

" 'Yes, Father,' I answered,

" 'Why did you leave the monastery ?'

I gave him a satisfactory answer, whereupon he ad-
vised me with regard to my difficulties, and the outcome
proved the wisdom of his direction.

"At first I said to myself, 'This monk is too simple,
I have yielded to an illusion.' But when he accom-
panied me to the door he spoke a few words in Flemish
on the love of Jesus Christ, with such marks of
enthusiasm that I turned around to look at him (for he

An Old Druggist from Bruges,

A Priest from Bruges,

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

had made me walk ahead of him) .... He was no longer
the same man : he was transfigured; his physiognomy,
ordinarily so simple, not to say more, had something
of the inspired, the ecstatic in it; his speech, so slow
and colorless, was now lively, overflowing, impetuous,
exuberant. He was, as it were, carried off by a mentis
excessus. 'Truly,' said I to myself, 'here is a man who
changes easily and rapidly, more so than we find in the
stories of "A Thousand and One Nights." This oc-
currence remained deeply engraven upon my mind.

"i have not the necessary learning or discernment
to pass judgment upon the supernatural character of the
works and deeds of Father Paul; but I must candidly
admit that this sudden change and apparent transform-
ation of his person has always puzzled me."

The Wife of the Steward of a Castle

had suffered severely for a long time. She came to see
Father Paul at Steenbrugge and asked to be cured.

"But you are not sick !" he replied.

"Not sick? I can endure my suffering no longer,
I have been treated by several physicians, but the more
medicine I take, the worse I feel."

"I tell you that you are not sick at all !" Then
touching the woman's breast with his finger, Father Paul
said, "There is the cause of your sufferings. Take
this medal and dip it in all your beverage, whilst mak-
ing a no vena, and your malady will disappear." On the
eighth day of her novena the woman obtained complete
relief.

Digitized by

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

The same woman came to Father Paul with the fol-
lowing complaint, "My husband is happy in his posi-
tion, he attends to his business well, and his master is
satisfied with him; but he displeases the master's nota-
ry, who is doing everything in his power to have him
discharged. "

"Yes, and the superintendent of the forest is also
displeased with him, is he not?" "Yes." "Well, the
best thing you can do is to look for another place."

A Young Lady from Antwerp
had grown very thin from illness. Fearing consumption,
she induced a friend to go to Steenbrugge and ask the
prayers of Father Paul. This was the answer she re-
ceived, The patient will not take consumption. She
will be cured and will need to have her clothes made
larger at three different times." The lady was cured and
the predictions of Father Paul were verified.

A Young Lady
of Knesselaere sprained her arm, and purchased a small
bottle of liniment to be applied thereto. Some time aft-
er she paid a visit to Father Paul, who thus addressed
her, "For what are those bandages on your arm?"
"Ob ! I am suffering so much pain from it." Where-
upon Father Paul touched the injured arm, and the
young lady was at once able to move it freely. Then
Father Paul, in a jocose manner, said to her, "A physi-
cian would certainly have charged you at least a franc

Digitized by

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

for such a cure. You have paid fifteen cents for that
bottle of liniment; give it to me as my fee." When
the young woman was about to leave, Father Paul asked
her, "Do you want a little present?" "With pleasure,
you are really too kind." "Very well, here is the bottle.
It will help you cure poor people, who suffer from sprains
or dislocations. But the bottle must be my property."
All to whom the young lady applied the liniment re-
ceived relief; and, when after the death of Father Paul,
she had the bottle refilled, she used it with the same
unfailing success.

One day when Father Paul had entrusted to her
charge an important and difficult affair, he said, "Pro-
ceed with it: my prayer will give power and success to
all your words." The result was simply wonderful.

The same young lady was troubled with three bad
teeth in her lower jaw, so that the gum was beginning to
decay. Having complained about it to Father Paul he
replied, "You will retain these teeth, I shall stop the
pain. You have suffered enough from them." And
her sufferings really ceased that very day.

"Truly," Father Paul added, "when I am sad and
you are sick, you console me, for you come to me at
once with as great a confidence as though I knew how
to cure everything."

In 1886, she suffered from her throat so that she
had lost her appetite and voice. For several days she
had been under a strict diet, and had a heavy muffler
around her neck. Father Paul having gone to Knes-
selaere (the only time he went there) visited the sick
girl who greeted him with a low, raucous voice. Fa-
ther Paul said jokingly :

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

"is it possible ? The first time I come to see you,
you talk to me in such a manner, and receive me in
such an unconventional make up ! Take that muffler
off." After that he made a little cross on the sore spot
with his thumb. The pain stopped at once, the pa-
tient's voice became clear and strong, and her appetite
made itself so sensibly felt, that she went to the kitchen
and ate two large rolls. The priest's servant girl was
witness of this wonderful cure.

Father Paul told us that a certain sick person, on
his way to Steenbrugge to be cured, recovered his
health before reaching the monastery, owing to his
great confidence.

The 24th of August, 1894, the day on which the
Very Rev. Prior Dom Maurus was blessed as Abbot of
Termonde, the same young lady suffered from a severe
inflammation of the cheek. She met Father Paul in the
church. He touched the inflamed cheek with his finger,
and two minutes after, the cheek was restored to its
natural state.

a woman engaged in business in Malines, was by the
advice of her physician to undergo an operation, to
which she was bitterly opposed. As she was acquainted
with Father Paul, she decided to go to Steenbrugge and
beseech his aid. Contrary to her expectations, Father
Paul encouraged her to submit to the painful ordeal;

Cured in Two Minutes.

In the Year 1882,

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

but she replied that death was preferable. He exhorted
the lady saying, "You have never disobeyed me.
Have confidence in me, and resign yourself with docil-
ity to the judgment of the surgeon. " And Father Paul
promised her that within two days, she would enjoy the
happiest hour of her life.

She accordingly presented herself to the surgeon
and said, "Here I am, do with me whatever you may
deem necessary and may God aid you." The surgeon
again examined her, and in bewilderment exclaimed,
"The malady has disappeared: not a trace of it re-
mains : it is impossible to account for it ! Truly,
indeed, this is a miracle !"

had written to Father Paul asking the cure of her infant.
She received the answer while watching the little one
in its cradle. Hardly had she opened the envelope
when she found that the child was cured.

the daughter of a farmer in Austruweel near Antwerp,
suffered from a polyp. The surgeon cauterized the
growth three times a week; but as it grew worse, they
brought the poor girl to Termonde. Father Paul pre-
scribed a novena to St. Benedict, and foretold that the
child would be cured. In order to dispel the child's
sadness the Rev. Father spoke to her in a cheerful tone

A Lady of Liege

A Child of Nine Years,

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

and said, "Now, my little one, you will have to put on
nice clothes and have pretty feathers in your hat!"
The polyp disappeared on the sixth day of the novena,
to the great astonishment of the physician.

In 1883, a Lody
had a cancer on her breast. Three doctors had decided
that an operation was necessary; but following an in-
spiration, she had recourse to Father Paul who told her
to wash the sore spot three times a day, with water into
which a medal of St. Benedict had been dipped. The
Rev. Father added this caution, "Don't be curious,
and do not look at the spot until you feel that you have
been cured." The cancer disappeared in fifteen days.

A Woman from Bruges,

who for some time felt indisposed, requested prayers
from Father Paul. The Rev. Father sent her some
powder of the miraculous roses of St. Benedict, and
promised to pay her a visit the following Friday (every
Friday Father Paul came to Bruges in order to venerate
the relic of the precious blood*) adding that she would
be well by that time. And so it was.

#The pilgrimage to the Precious Blood, of Bruges, enjoys a
European reputation that runs back through seven centuries. In
1900 a booklet was published in Bruges, in which the history of
the venerable relic is given, as also an account of the numerous
miracles and prodigies obtained by the faithful since the year 11 50.

* 6

Digitized by

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

A Physician

of Bruges prescribed a poisonous medicine for a nun.
The druggist, by mistake prepared an overdose; and
the patient consequently suffered from the torturing
effects of the poison. The physician was recalled at
once, and knowing that there was no hope of recovery,
ordered that a priest be sent for immediately to admin-
ister the last sacraments.

The nearest church was that at which Father Paul
was stationed. He came without delay, but would not
administer the last rites. He said, "The sister is re-
covering : in a short time, she will be cured. How,
then, can you ask me to give her the last sacraments ?"
After having blessed the patient, he calmly left the
room, and scarcely had he departed, when she arose
from'her bed in perfect health.

a woman from Oostcamp asked Father Paul to cure her
husband. "Wait," he said, "I shall say a prayer be-
fore the statue of St. Benedict. " Going back to the
woman, he said to her, "The sickness of your husband
is too far advanced; this evening you will be separated."
The man died that evening.

A Lady of Steenbrugge

was hopelessly ill. The physicians had finally conclud-
ed that it was time to administer the last sacraments.
They sent at once to the monastery calling for a priest,

In the Church at Steenbrugge,

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

but at the time, none of the Benedictine Fathers were
at home. Towards noon Father Paul returned and was
informed of the urgent sick call. "Hasten, Father,
God knows if it is not already too late."

"No, no," he replied, "we shall take our dinner
first." After dinner Father Paul went to the sick per-
son, and a few days afterwards the lady was restored
to health.

"in 1889 I was in a very serious condition on ac-
count of a tumor that had formed in my bowels. The
physicians declared that I had to undergo a dangerous
operation. As their decision caused me great fear, I
went to consult Father Paul, but he also advised an
operation and assured me that it would be successful.
The Rev. Father was so certain of the outcome, that he
did not find it necessary for me to receive the sacra-
ments before the operation, which took place under
the most favorable circumstances and without causing
me the least pain or fever. The cyst which adhered
to the spine was taken out; it weighed no less than ten
and a half pounds."

had charged a friend of hers to ask a cure of Father
Paul. The Rev. Father inquired whether the woman
had heart trouble. The answer was that she knew ab-
solutely nothing about it. "Well," he said, "if she
suffers from heart trouble, let her rub the affected part

"bar

A Lady from Antwerp Writes to Us:

A Sick Woman

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

with a little water into which a medal of St. Benedict
has been dipped." The woman really did suffer from
heart disease and was cured by following the counsel
of Father Paul.

Another lady asked Father Paul to cure her, and
received the following answer: "You cannot be cured,
because you are opposed to the vocation of your daugh-
ter, who desires to go to the convent."

A Woman from St. Georges Soys:
' 'For a long time I suffered much from severe pains
in my head, and the physician failed to give relief.
Paying a visit to Father Paul in Steenbrugge, he put his
finger to different parts of my head, saying each time,
'Now the pain is here.' And actually I felt the pain
move about and stay where the Rev. Father had placed
his finger. Finally he said, 'Make the sign of the cross
and say, In the name of St. Benedict !' While doing
so, the pain disappeared as if by magic."

A Young Girl from Knesselaere

who suffered from a disease of the spinal marrow, asked
Father Paul to obtain her cure, "ir you are resigned
to the holy will of God and ready to die should He wish
it, you will be so happy in heaven," replied the Rev.
Father; "but if you prefer to be cured, I shall pray for
that; however, in this case you will have to undergo
great trials. What is your choice ?"

Digitized by

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

"if that is the case, I prefer to die." And she
died soon afterwards.

in Antwerp being sick, the latter went to Father Paul.
"You did not go to confession in seven years," said
Father Paul, "and your wife not in six : this is the
cause of your children's illness. Let both of you go
to confession in Antwerp, and your children will re-
cover their health."

paid a visit to Father Paul at Termonde. Daily the
Rev. Father received a crowd of people in the church,
and afterwards the woman related some incidents which
came to her knowledge that day. She said : —

"A young lady having asked to be cured, received
the following answer from Father Paul : 'First be con-
verted, for I am ashamed to see you.'

"Another girl demanded the cure of her mother.
This was the reply she received from the Rev. Father :
'Do not any longer prevent your servant from going to
church in the morning, and do not ill-treat her. She
is a good girl and prays for the cure of your mother,
and she will obtain that favor.'

"A married couple came and complained that all
their children had died. Answer : 'You yourselves are
the cause of your misfortune.' Addressing the woman,
Father Paul said, 'You ought to have given a good ex-
ample, and yet you have not been to confession in

The Four Children of 0 Boatman

In 1874, q Woman of Antwerp

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

twelve years. And you,' he said to the husband, 'have
not been to confession in twenty years. What blessings
can you expect under these circumstances? Enter into
yourselves, be converted, then return and I shall re-
ceive you with a generous heart !'

"A girl who returned to Antwerp with me told me
that her jaw-bone had been dislocated. Father Paul
having said a prayer over her, the jaw-bone adjusted
itself in the course of the interview."

was attacked by a mysterious sickness which defied all
treatment. One might believe her possessed by the devil
from her howling and unceasing utterance of the most
horrible blasphemies. She grasped all who came within
her reach, and foaming at the mouth, bit those who
came tpo near. Her parents having begged Father
Paul to come to their aid, he delivered the unfortunate
girl from her obsession in the following manner : taking
hold of her hand he placed therein a medal of St. Bene-
dict, and put his own hand on the head of the poor
creature. The young girl at once became quiet, and
humbly said to her deliverer, "i beg your pardon, my
Father, I shall not do it anymore !"

A Widow

of Wyngene had a daughter twelve years of age so
severely afflicted with a nervous disease that she did
not enjoy a moment of repose. The malady became

A Girl of Sixteen Years

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

so aggravated that she lost the power of speech, and
food had to be administered to her as to an infant.
Two doctors had treated her; several novenas were
undertaken; a pilgrimage to Thielt made in her behalf,
but all to no avail.

The Little Sisters of the Poor from the convent of
Bruges, who were soliciting alms in the village, remained
with us over night, but they were unable to sleep on
account of the cries of the suffering child. The good
sisters, grieved at the affliction of the disconsolate
widow, said to her, "For the love of God, Madame, got
see Father Paul, and ask him to cure your child,"

The servant-girl was sent to the monastery at
Steenbrugge, and said to the Rev. Father, "My employ-
er, a widow of Wyngene, has sent me to obtain the cure
of her daughter." Father Paul replied, "That child is
in a deplorable condition, and cannot live more than
two days. However, we shall see what can be done
through the aid of St. Benedict."

He then gave the servant-girl two medals. "Place
one around her neck, though you will experience great
difficulty in so doing. The other you will dip into
whatever she may drink, and also into the water where-
with you bathe her suffering limbs. Give her no med-
icine, only a small powder of the miraculous roses of
St. Benedict and make fervent novenas in honor of St.
Benedict. You left home at seven o'clock this morning
so return at once, for these poor people are, indeed,
sorely afflicted."

As soon as the servant had returned, Father Paul's
instructions were faithfully carried out. When an at-
tempt was made to fasten the medal around the weak

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

child's neck, she became suddenly enraged; and they
succeeded only after giving her a few drops o£ water
into which they had placed the medal.

At the termination of a second novena the child
having worn the medal gave evidences of improvement,
but she was still unable to speak or eat and her arms
remained paralyzed. Then the mother, accompanied
by the servant, brought the daughter to Father Paul
who received them most cordially. He placed a medal
on the table, and asked the girl, "Do you not know
how to speak? Take that medal." The girl tried, but
in vain. "Try again, it will be easy." All the efforts
of the poor child were useless, yet Father Paul insisted
that she should take it from the table. At length she
lifted her arm and took the medal exclaiming, "i have
it." From that moment her arms regained their free-
dom, and she fully recovered the use of her speech.
When about to take leave of Father Paul the child's
mother inquired of him what compensation she should
offer him, the Father answered, "Nothing."

He then asked the servant-girl, "Do you intend to
remain long in this lady's service ?" "Oh," replied her
mistress, "She is an orphan, where can she go? We
are her sole support. And why should she leave us?"
"Yes," said Father Paul, "remain for some days."

Shortly after, the servant lost the medal which
Father Paul had given her. When she returned to the
monastery to obtain another, Father Paul said to her,
"Don't worry, you have no longer any need of that
medal, God knows where it is."

A few days later she took ill and the physician
declared that she suffered from an acute attack of in-

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

testinal inflammation. This information caused the
good lady great grief, as the servant was much loved by
the family. The priest and the physician pitied her
but insisted that the sickness must take its course.
The intense pain, however, ceased after the lady had
given the patient a few drops of water, in which she
had dipped the medal of St. Benedict. Shortly after
the servant peacefully expired, perfectly resigned to the
will of God. Father Paul's prediction was fulfilled, and
the next time the lady conversed with him, he assured
her that the devout orphan whom she loved so dearly
was in heaven.

The lady writes : "Since my daughter's cure, hun-
dreds of people have visited us to inquire regarding
Father Paul, and many from here and the surrounding
country have had recourse to him.

with our property. There was continual sickness in our
stable, and one loss followed another. The matter
being referred to Father Paul, he sent us some medals
to be hung upon the wall of the stable. This proved a
powerful remedy, for all sickness ceased, never to re-
appear.

"The Rev. Father urged my husband to quit the
farm we had rented, insisting that if he remained on it
he would be persecuted for three years, and in the end
be ruined. But my husband who had hitherto had the
utmost confidence in Father Paul, would not believe it,
persuading himself that the Rev. Father must be mis-
taken this time, since the events predicted seemed so
improbable. Consequently he stayed on the farm.

We Also Hod Misfortune

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

"And yet events proved the accuracy of Father
PauPs words; everything happened as he had foretold.
Our life became one series of trials; we were cheated,
robbed and calumniated • by the very persons of whom
the Rev. Father had spoken. This spell of adversity
lasted exactly three years, at the end of which the cred-
itor sold at auction all that remained of our goods.
Two days before the sale I took away the three medals
of St. Benedict which were hanging on the walls of the
stable for the protection of the cattle. Now the very
next morning several head of cattle were found lying
on the ground, suffering horribly, and on the point of
perishing.

"Being compelled to leave the farm we established
ourselves where jealousy and envy did not follow us.
Soon we recovered our fortune, my husband regained
the esteem which he had formerly enjoyed, and died
regretted by all his fellow citizens.

"i visited Father Paul one day with my daughter
whom he had cured, and he asked her for her rosary,
saying it was not blessed. That was true, and the Rev.
Father blessed the rosary and gave it back to her."

in Antwerp was attacked, twenty- two years ago, by a
malignant tumor in her lower limb, which baffled the
skill of two physicians who pronounced it incurable.
The grocer, utterly dejected, was advised to procure the
aid of Father Paul. He spoke of his intention to his
wife who enthusiastically cried out, "Oh ! go then to see

The Wife of a Grocer

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

this celebrated Benedictine." "Very well," he replied,
"but I cannot leave the store." "Pshaw," answered
the wife, "is your store dearer to you than I am?
Father Paul is my only hope, he can cure me and I am
sure he will do so for my children's sake."

The same day the grocer left for Termonde, and
saw Father Paul. The Rev. Father told him his wife
would be cured because of her great faith, and her
desire to be spared to her children. "But," he added,
"it will require a long time."

From that day on the progress of the tumor was
arrested, and on the following day the physicians de-
cided that the operation might be delayed, while the
patient was so encouraged that she declared, "Amputa-
tion will not be necessary, I shall be cured for the sake
of my children." She was confined to her bed nine
months; finally the tumor disappeared, and she insisted
on visiting Father Paul to thank him.

Accompanied by her eldest son, and suffering great
pain, she went to Termonde, where she saw Father Paul
enter the church. He bade her follow him to the sac-
risty, and requested her son to await her. She expressed
to her generous benefactor her gratitude and joy, that
he had prevented the operation by his prayers.

"But," interrupted Father Paul, "is that your son
outside?" "Yes, Rev. Father, — but oh, my limb still
pains me." Again he asked, "is that your son?"
"Yes, Rev. Father. — I am so grateful for what you have
already done for me." When he asked the same ques-
tion a third time, the mother understood that Father
Paul wished to teach her the necessity of concern for
her children, for whose sake she was so anxious to be

Digitized by

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

cured. She then beckoned him to come in. "This
boy does not learn well, although he studies diligently."
4 'That is so," said his mother, "and I leave nothing

Paul, "is not yet fully developed; but he is good and
wise. Take care of him and occupy him with manual
labor." The following year, her boy entered college,
and succeeded admirably in his studies.

Now Father Paul directed his attention to the lady.
"How do you feel?" "Very well; I am now relieved
of that dreadful tumor." "Do not thank me, but St.
Benedict. Yet you are not entirely cured, and I am
surprised that you were able to journey so far."

"The physician says that I will die if the wound
closes." "And yet, you say that you wish to be spared
to your family." "Oh, yes, Rev. Father." "in that
case the wound must disappear. Follow my directions
carefully : dip this medal into everything you drink,
saying, 'St. Benedict, obtain for me the grace to be
cured.' Recite daily nine Our Fathers, Hail Marys,
and Glory be to the Father, together with your house-
hold. Finally, from the powder of the miraculous roses
of St. Benedict, make seven portions, put a little in
your drink, and at intervals during the month, apply it
to the wound of your limb." And Father Paul promised
her that at the end of a month, she would be cured
through the intercession of St. Benedict. The last day
of the month, his promise was fulfilled.

undone to help him.

< (

His mind," answered Father

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

A Married Woman from Oostcamp

had lost several children in their infancy. In 1881 her
last born child, only five weeks old, all at once became
very peevish. The mother not being able to nurse
him anymore, brought him to the monastery in Steen-
brugge. Sitting down in a pew of the church, she held
the baby on her knees. Father Paul knelt down before
the child and held his hand, and for the first time the
little one began to laugh while looking at Father Paul.

' 'Don't worry," he said, "your child will be cured :
but you have in your house baby clothes that came
from a strange woman; burn them as soon as possible.
When you have done so, the child will be well. Make
a novena in honor of St. Benedict; I shall pray also; if
the trouble shall continue, come back."

Having returned home, the mother remembered
that she had in possession some clothes that her sister
had given her after the death of her children, and that
her sister had received the things from a woman of
doubtful character living in the neighborhood. In ac-
cordance with the Rev. Father's advice, these clothes
were burned. A few days later, the child seemed to be
cured, but on the last day of the novena, it began to
cry again as it had done before. The mother made a
second visit to Steenbrugge.

"You did not burn everything in your house which
came from that strange woman. Go home and seek
everywhere, and on the way home, conceal your child
and do not show him to anyone."

The woman left the monastery. Hardly had she
proceeded a few hundred paces, when an old woman
.accosted her and said, "Hold on! you went to show

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

your baby to Father Paul; let me see it also !" — "i have
no time," the mother replied. As soon as she reached
home, she searched every nook and corner of the house.
Under a piece of furniture, she found an old pair of in-
fant's shoes which she threw into the fire. From that
moment, the child was quieted, and his health was
excellent; he became a fine, strong boy.

The Wife of a Laborer in Oostcamp,
a penitent of Father Paul, and mother of seventeen
children, had the misfortune of seeing one of her sons,
a boy of fourteen years, experience a terrible accident.
As he fell under a wagon loaded with lumber, his limb
was caught between one of the large wheels of the
wagon and a heavy beam hanging from the chains.
Although no bone was broken, the flesh of the entire
leg was torn and crushed. The poor boy was carried
to the hospital of St. John where the physicians de-
clared that the leg must be amputated.

It happened that the mother came to the church of
the Benedictines in Steenbrugge, and there met Father
Paul who spoke to her in a severe tone, "Your son has
had an accident; why did you not come at once and
tell me ? Go to the hospital and tell the sisters not to
allow an amputation; your son will be completely
healed." But at the hospital the sisters told the moth-
er that it was absolutely necessary to amputate the leg.
"it would have been better," they said, "if the leg had
been fractured in ten places; the boy is young and
would have recovered. But now there is no hope." —

Digitized by

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

""Yet, Father Paul said that my son would be healed,"
replied the mother. And so it happened. The leg was
not cut off, the flesh was restored to its former health,
and not so much as a trace of the accident remained.

Father Paul also told this woman, that all her
children would marry, and like herself have large
families.

which Father Paul was making to a widow at Bruges,
he suddenly interrupted his conversation and said, "i
must go at once to a certain convent to see a nun who
must undergo an operation of the eyes." In fact, a
sister had to undergo such an operation, but humanly
speaking, Father Paul could not have been aware of it.
He went accordingly and told the sister not to be afraid
as the success of the operation was assured. The result
was excellent.

Before leaving the lady, Father Paul said to the
servant, "Give me the rosary you have in your pocket;
it has come apart; I shall fix it for you." The servant
much astonished, handed him the broken rosary all the
more willingly, as she thereby obtained for herself a
precious souvenir of the saintly Benedictine.

The Lady of a Manor at Zevenbergen
in Holland, once brought Father Paul a closed package
containing three gross of medals of Our Lady of the
Sacred Heart and asked him to bless them. "With
pleasure," replied the- Rev. Father, "i shall bless them

During a Call

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

all except one which is a medal of the Precious Blood,
and for that I shall say a little prayer." When the lady
returned home and looked over her medals, she found
among them the one of the Precious Blood of which
Father Paul had spoken.

Father Paul visited a sick lady, who was nursed by a
consumptive servant. He said to the patient, "Your
servant is in a worse state of health than you are. Tell
her to come and ask to be restored to health by St.
Benedict." A few days later the servant proceeded to
the monastery and Father Paul told her to wear a medal,
to make a novena and . . . here he suddenly stopped,
then continued, "No, don't do it; it is no longer nec-
essary; you are on the way to recovery." At that very
moment the servant experienced a strange sensation
passing through her from head to foot; she was cured.

Some years later the same servant was living at
Steenbrugge where Father Paul was prior at the time.
"One morning at four o'clock," she says, "in a dream
I saw Father Paul come to me and say, 'i am going
on a journey this morning and shall say Mass at five
o'clock; rise and attend my Mass, for no one else will
be in the church/ I awoke immediately and went to
Mass; I was the only one in the church. After Mass
Father Paul said to me smiling, 'Aha ! who made you
come so early?' 'Why, you, Father,' I answered.

" 'I asked our Lord that there might be at least
one person in church to hear my Mass.' "

At St. Gilles Near Termonde,

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

A Former Penitent of Father Paul

relates the following story : "Once I was praying before
the statue of St. Benedict in the church at Steenbrugge.
It was during a thunder storm. A heavy clap of thun-
der was heard and at the same time I felt myself lifted
from my place and put down some five steps further off.
Then I saw that the lightning had struck and broken
one of the windows, and the pieces had fallen on the
very spot from which I had been lifted. When after-
wards I saw Father Paul at the monastery he said to me
laughing, 'You had a scare a little while ago; is it not
so?' 'Yes, and I was carried off a few steps.' 'if you
had been put down a little further off you would have
been still more secure from danger.'

"When I entered the monastery, the wall of which
had been recently painted, I rubbed my cloak against
it. Brother Hilduard was annoyed when he saw the
paint taken off the wall, and pointing to my cloak
stained with paint, said to Father Paul, 'How shall we
remove these spots?' 'That's nothing,' he said, 'come
here.' Then he rubbed the stains with his hands and
they came off; while the paint on the wall was restored
at the same time."

they tell the following story : "While the family were
seated at table, a young girl had the misfortune of over-
turning her glass of red wine for which she was severely
rebuked. But the good Father Paul interfered. Plac-
ing his hand over the large, red spot he said, 'Oh,
that's nothing !' And the stain disappeared at once.

In a House of Antwerp

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

A Young Lady Writes:

"At Antwerp Father Paul often received a number
of visitors at our house. One winter, during very
snowy weather, he came twice within three weeks. I
told him the house would be pretty dirty from such a
crowd of visitors, to which he replied that it would not.
'Well, if it is/ I said jestingly, 'you will have to clean
it.' 'Yes, yes, I shall do so/ he said.

"The first day brought from sixty to seventy visit-
ors, and the second about eighty. On both occasions
the house resembled a real pool of mud and water.
But no sooner had Father Paul, on his departure,
crossed the threshold, than our house suddenly assumed
its former cleanliness, as though no visitor had entered
it. My father (now deceased), my brothers and I were
indeed, very much astonished.

gave me answers to questions which I had intended to
ask him, but neglected for want of time; for as soon
as the consultations were finished, he was asked to visit
the sick that were unable to come to him. One day I
intended to consult him on a certain subject, but being
preoccupied, forgot all about it. As he was on the
point of leaving us, Father Paul gave me the informa-
tion I desired. As I did not at first understand the
meaning of his words, he remarked with a smile, 'it is
the reply to the question you intended to ask me.'

of the convent of the Sacred Heart, opposite our house,
sent for Father Paul on behalf of one sister whose back
was so afflicted that she could not perform her duties.

Very Often Father Paul

The Rev. Mother Superior

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

I accompanied him to the convent. As soon as he
came into the presence of the sick sister, he gave her
his blessing, and she was cured instantaneously.

"The Mother Superior requested Father Paul to
say Mass at the convent the next morning at half past
five; he promised to do so. Then Father Paul said to
me, 'You shall come to my Mass tomorrow.'

44 'No,' I replied, 4I am tired and half past five is
too early; I am not such an early riser.'

44 4But you shall come nevertheless,' the Rev. Father
said laughing.'

44 4No, I will not come.' With these words I left
Father Paul and went home, while he returned to the
family where he lodged, some distance from our house.
I slept well all night, but towards five o'clock I was
awakened by a voice which I recognized as that of
Father Paul, and which said distinctly, 4 Louise, arise,
it is time to come to my Mass.' Fancying that it was
all a dream I tried to sleep again; but I heard the voice
a second and a third time, and each time it sounded
more determined.

4 4 4 As I did not dare to remain in bed any longer,
I arose, dressed hastily and went to Mass. After Mass
Father Paul came to our house for breakfast and said to
me with a laugh, 4Well, I had to call you three times
this morning. I told you yesterday that you would
come to my Mass.'

44 'How were you able to call me,' I said, 4 You
were not at our house ?'

4 4 4The good God,' he replied permitted me to
make you hear my voice without my being with you.'

IOO

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

Many a Time

my father spoke to Father Paul of his fear of dying
suddeDly, because the physician had told him that he
would have a sudden end, but the Rev. Father always
assured him that it would not be so; however, when he
became ill, his anxiety increased, and he requested me
to write to Termonde. Father Paul replied, 'Let your
father banish all anxiety : he will not die suddenly,
but he has only three months more to live, and he will
die a holy death/

"A few days before his death, my father expressed
a wish to see his friend once more. On the very day
of his death Father Paul came to console him; his suf-
ferings were so intense that he longed to die. 'i would
like to die,' said my father, 'for I cannot endure my
sufferings any longer/ Father Paul replied, 'I shall go
and pray.'

4 'After an hour's absence he returned and said to the
patient, 'Very well, you can die this evening at ten
o'clock; you will not suffer during the six hours you still
have to live and your purgatory will be short : you will
not suffer there.' My father died at ten o'clock that
night, cheerfully resigned to the will of God, nor did
he suffer any more the last six hours of his life.

to accompany a congregation from Bruges to Oostacker,
engaged me to go there the same day. On the road
of St. Amand, which leads to the celebrated pilgrimage,
I saw the Rev. Father passing in a coach. I ran for-
ward to stop the driver, but fell so heavily that I had
great difficulty in rising. My knees and left hand were

Father Paul Being Obliged

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

IOI

iDjured. I stepped into the convent of the Sisters of
St. Amand where I rested for some time; then I pain-
fully proceeded to the grotto of our Lady of Lourdes.
There I saw Father Paul in a crowd of people and told
him of my accident. He took my injured hand, made
a little cross on it and prayed for a moment. The pain
stopped at once. I then said with great confidence:
'and now my knees ?' The Rev. Father made the sign
of the cross three times, then he touched my knees with
his hands and said, 'That is settled; you are cured,'
and from that moment the pain was gone."

A Sick Woman
came and asked Father Paul to cure her. She had
brought a friend with her. The Rev. Father prescribed'
a novena and gave her the assurance of a cure. Then
turning to the other woman, he asked her if she were
not ill. "No," she said, "i come only to accompany
my friend."

"Nevertheless, you are very sick," said Father
Paul. "I am not," insisted the woman; "I feel quite
well."

"it is your soul that is sick," said Father Paul, "it
is as black as soot." "Why ?"

"Did you not drown your child?"

"Oh, no ! I never did such a thing !"

"Certainly you did so, eleven years ago, at such a
place (indicating the exact spot) and you never con-
fessed your crime." The unatural mother burst into
tears and made her confession to Father Paul.

102

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

Every Sunday

a farmer from Oostcamp would drive to Steenbrugge to
attend the eight o'clock Mass. One day arriving at the
bridge near the monastery, he saw an old woman making
grimaces; his horse shied, and it required an effort to
make him cross the bridge. On his return, as well as
on several succeeding Sundays, he encountered the same
difficulty. He informed Father Paul, who gave him a
medal with instructions to fasten it to the halter of the
horse. From that time, the animal passed over the
bridge without showing the least fear.

accompanied by the Very Rev. Dom Joseph, prior of
the monastery, paid a visit to a friend, a merchant,
and he inquired of him if all were well with himself
and family. The gentleman answering affirmatively,
Father Paul, with manifest excitement, said to him :
4 'Go to your store immediately, your presence is requir-
ed." On his arrival, he found one of his servants in
the act of stealing a considerable amount.

as the illness increased, the mother proposed to her
husband that they apply to Father Paul, but he opposed
the project. The next day she renewed her efforts, but
was again refused. On the third day her continued
entreaties brought her husband into a rage and he began

Father Paul,

In Stuivenberg a Child was Sick;

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

103

to blaspheme. Finally he gave his consent and accom-
panied his wife and child to Steenbrugge. As soon as
they were admitted into Father Paul's presence, the
latter at once addressed the man saying: "So at the
third invitation you decided to come, but even then
not without blaspheming!" Then, having given the
man a severe rebuke, he cured his child.

of thirteen was, according to the physician's certificate,
the victim of serious nervous attacks; and as the physi-
cian entertained no hope of benefiting the child, he
advised the mother to seek the assistance of Father Paul.
The mother, accompanied by a friend lost no time in
visiting the Father. Perceiving the anxiety in the
woman's face, he said to her, "Be of good cheer your
child will get well for you are a good mother." He
then prescribed the usual devotions in honor of St.
Benedict. At the end of a novena the child was some-
what improved, but not entirely cured. She visited
Father Paul a second time. He was much pleased with
the result, as the lady was able to bring the child with
her. He requested her to make another novena which
restored the child to perfect health.

An Unnatural Mother,

as she advanced in years, having become blind, begged
Father Paul to restore her sight. The Rev. Father held
a small mirror before the woman's eyes and asked her,

A Child

104 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

"Do you see now?" "Oh yes," she replied, "and oh !
what a beautiful little angel." "is it not the child
which you killed when you were young ? You must
bear your misfortune in expiation of your crime."

And she again became blind for Father Paul inva-
riably refused to intercede in behalf of those whose
affliction was the effect of sin.

happened to be in the Benedictine church of the abbey,
and saw a woman lamenting and entreating Father Paul
to come to her assistance; but he abruptly turned away
from her.

The sister greatly affected followed Father Paul,
and ventured to ask why he acted so strangely. He
made answer, "it is indeed, too sad, but, in her youth
she destroyed her child, she is now suffering the penalty
of her crime, and I cannot help her."

who had become blind, desired to obtain her recovery
through Father Paul; but having no funds for the
journey to Termonde, she applied to a young lady of
Antwerp who was well known for her works of charity.
The lady was kind enough to accompany the girl to
Termonde.

Great, however, was her astonishment, when she
heard Father Paul say to the blind girl, "Suffer your

A Nun

A Poor Girl of Antwerp

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

™5

affliction in expiation of your crime; you put your
.new-born infant to death."

The wife of a boatman of the same place com-
plained to Father Paul that she had lost six children
immediately after their birth. The Rev. Father said
to her, "Before your marriage you suffocated your
newly-born child, and the process lasted seven minutes.
The seventh child to which you will give birth will die
also, but you will save the eighth."

Father Paul often received his numerous visitors at the
house of a friend, a merchant. One of this man's
workmen had his face covered with blotches, and as
various remedies had been used in vain, he had recourse
to Father Paul. "The eruptions which torment you,"
he replied, "are caused by the state of your soul which
is saturated with evil; go to confession^and Holy Com-
munion, and they will disappear." The workman
followed this advice and was cured instantaneously.

The merchant prepared a feast in honor of his
daughter, who had received her first Holy Communion,
and Father Paul was invited to the banquet.

A young lady friend of the family, troubled *ith
sore eyes, and continually haunted by a vision of a
crown of thorns, was prevented by her malady from
attending. In the meantime, however, she availed her-
self of Father Paul's presence and asked him to cure
her, "You heal so many who are sick, please cure me."

"No," said Father Paul, "for you is reserved the

At Antwerp

106 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

cross which you must carry, for such is the will of
God." "But I would like so much to attend the feast"
"Very well; be it so, I shall cure your eyes for this
day." The young lady joyfully assisted at the feast,
but at the close of day, her eyes again pained her, and
the crown of thorns still pursued her vision.

A countryman arrived in a buggy at the merchant's
house. He was a stout man, but so stooped that his
chin almost touched his knees. He was led into the
room where Father Paul received his visitors. A few
minuter later the man walked out straight as a pole.
With one bound he jumped into his buggy, took the
reins and drove away in the direction of his house.

The merchant's daughter was suffering from an
attack of pleurisy when Father Paul came unexpectedly
and said, "i know there is trouble here." "Yes,"
said the merchant, "my daughter is suffering." The
Rev. Father gently passed his hand over that part of
the chest where the pain was, and as his hand advanced,
the girl experienced a sensation, she said, as if a troop
of little animals were trotting away.

When Father Paul withdrew his hand, the patient
was cured.

A Boy of Six Years
the son of a cattle-dealer in Borgerhout, was unable to
stand on account of the extreme weakness of his legs.
His father hoping to find a better remedy with Father
Paul, than with the physician he had already consulted,
went to Termonde. He had followed a good inspira-
tion, for the Rev. Father said to him, "l shall be in

Digitized by

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

107

Antwerp on such a day and at such a place. Bring
your boy to me, he will be able to go there on foot."
On the appointed day the child, cured, accompanied
his father who, full of joy, came to thank the saintly
Benedictine.

relates that accompanied by two friends, she called
upon Father Paul, who presented each with a medal of
St. Benedict. Then he handed one to her remarking,
"You will not wear it." The young lady naturally was
annoyed by what Father Paul had said. A month later
she visited relatives, where she found the father of the
family suffering intense agony, as by mistake, he had
.swallowed muriatic acid. After treating the patient for
nine days, the physician declared that he could not
afford the sick man any relief, as he was unable to take
even a drop of water. The young lady asked the patient
if he had heard of Father Paul, to which he answered
in the negative. It was then that she was forcibly re-
minded of Father Paul's remark concerning the medal,
"You will not wear it." For it was in her pocket when
she wished to give it to the sick man. He dipped the
medal into a glass of water, which he was able to drink,
and at the end of six weeks he was restored to perfect
health.

In gratitude for his recovery, he treasured the
medal religiously, and wore it with the greatest respect
and confidence. But a Jesuit Father, hearing of the
wonderful cure, came to see him, and begged of him to
let him have the medal for a poor woman whom he be-

A Young Lady of Berchem

Io8 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

lieved to be possessed by the devil. The man obsti-
nately refused to part with his medal; and it was only
after the most urgent entreaties that the Jesuit Father
succeeded in procuring it. He went the next morning
to his cabinet shop, but in ill humor, because of the
persistency of the Jesuit. To his utter astonishment he
beheld on the workbench a beautiful, new medal of St.
Benedict, which could in no wise be accounted for.

"I once called on the Rev. Father, accompanied by
a lady from Antwerp. This lady told him that the
physicians had pronounced her incurable, on account
of a lesion of the stomach. 'Has the physician seen
it himself?' asked Father Paul, *No, that is impossi-
ble.' 'Of course he could see it by performing an
operation .... but there is nothing the matter with your
stomach; your sickness comes from a great vexation.
You will be cured in a short time.' The lady was per-
fectly well in eight days.

"i went to see Father Paul and spoke to him about
a woman of Brechem who was confined to her bed by
illness. 'The woman will soon be cured,' he said, 'and
she will come to meet you upon your return.' When I
got back I saw the woman on the threshold T)f our house.
She had come to ask me all about my interview with
Father Paul.

1 Drew Rent

from a house in which an old woman lived. As the
value of the property began to decline, my notary ad-
vised me to sell it. I did not wish to cause pain to
the poor, old woman, and therefore asked Father Paul
what I should do. He replied, 'Do nothing about the
matter and don't worry; better conditions will prevail.'

Digitized by

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

109

Seven years later the woman died and the sale of the
property brought more than enotfgh to repay me.

on Father Paul and asked him for the conversion of a
certain man with whom I was acquainted. His reply
was that the man would be converted only near the end
of his life. Four years later that person was taken sick
and refused all the consolations of religion. I returned
to the monastery and informed Father Paul of the mat-
ter. 'Be quiet,' he said, 'this person will be converted;
he will suffer such severe pains that he will end by call-
ing upon God. This will happen after a while, for it
cost me a deal to obtain for him that grace.' All came
to pass as foretold by Father Paul."

Once a young person of Antwerp suffered from an
affliction which hindered her breathing through her
nose. Father Paul touched her forehead with his thumb
and she was immediately cured.

of Eecloo relates the following occurrence : "A woman
living in Ursel brought her sick child, which had been
given up by the doctors, to Father Paul to obtain its
cure. The Rev. Father raising a corner of the wraps
with which the baby was covered said, 'Oh, that child
will learn well, it has such intelligent eyes !' Then he
spoke at some length with the friends who had accom-
panied the mother. She, on her part, renewed her
request for the child's cure. Father Paul again looked

One Doy I Colled

A Merchant

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

at the child and said, 'Oh, this child will learn so well,
look at those intelligent eyes !'

"The mother tried in vain to obtain a more reas-
suring answer; every time the Rev. Father repeated the
same words, and she had to depart without obtaining
anything further. The future, however, proved that
the Rev. Father had said enough to fulfill the desires
of the poor mother; for the child soon recovered, and
Father PauPs prediction came true. At school the child
distinguished himself by his cleverness and precocious
intelligence."

had a very bad neighbor. As she saw him pass one
day she said to Father Paul, "i wish that man would
leave our neighborhood." The Rev. Father looked
closely at the neighbor for a few seconds and replied,
"Don't say that, for that man may become one of your
best neighbors." Soon after the man was converted.

was thought to be possessed by an evil spirit: she
dragged herself about on her hands and knees, unable
to raise herself. Her parents brought her to Termonde
where Father Paul hung a medal around her neck and
said a prayer. All at once the girl arose crying out, "I
am saved !" She threw her arms around the neck of her
deliverer, and it was quite a task to make her loosen
her hold.

A Certain Person in Ghent

A Little Girl oi Antwerp

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

Ill

The Wile of an Officio!

in Steenbrugge endured very great sufferings from a
cancer on the breast. As the physicians declared that
the poor woman had to suffer three more months, she
went to Termonde. Father Paul consoled her and ex-
horted her to resign herself to the holy will of God.
Returning to Steenbrugge, the sick woman went to bed
without suffering any longer, and died full of joy at
the end of ten days.

reports a few facts that came to her knowledge : —

"A young girl from Brecht, eighteen years old,
stayed in the hospital. Her little sister, aged six years,
was sick and there was no hope for her recovery. The
girl obtained permission from her mother to take the
little one to Father Paul. Looking at the child, the
Rev. Father said to the young girl, 'Your little sister is
in a very serious condition. Your father is dead and
your mother is leading a bad life, tell her to be converted.
She must go to confession and make a novena to St.
Benedict; the child will get well. But if she does not
do so the child will die.' The young girl asked if she
herself might not make the novena. 'No, your mother
must make it. As to yourself, follow the inspiration
which you have had as to your vocation, for your
happiness depends thereon.'

"The sick child died in the course of a year, and
the girl is now in the convent.

"A servant girl suffering from a disease of the eyes,
besought Father Paul to do something to alleviate the

A Person from M alines

112

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

pain. He answered, 'First restore the three bottles of
wine that you stole from your employer; then make a
novena to St. Benedict, and you will be cured.' The
girl certifies that she returned the wine, and during the
novena, her eyes were healed.

" A young lady, contrary to the advice of her con-
fessor, fasted until she became very ill, and applied to
Father Paul for the restoration of her health. This was
his reply, 'You have disobeyed your confessor. Now,
wander about, like a little bird, and await God's good
pleasure to restore your health.' "

"My mother had been deaf since childhood. Ac-
companied by my sister she came to consult Father
Paul. The Rev. Father said to her, 'You have lost one
ear completely, but I will take care of the other one
which will get well.' Then he said to my sister 'Do as
your mother does and you will be happy, for she prays
all the time.' My mother's ear was soon cured.

"I often consulted Father Paul in difficult matters,
and whenever I followed his advice, everything went
well. 1 always felt quieted and reassured when leaving
him.

"A young lady from Antwerp, who suffered from
her eyes came to see Father Paul. For a moment he
applied his fingers to her ailing eyes, and said to the
girl, 'Your eyes will not hurt you any more; here is a
prayer which I do not give to everybody; recite it.'
The young lady's eyes were cured.

A Lady from Deurne Writes:

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

113

"A widow who kept a hotel in Deurne, fearing for
the future of her three daughters, wished to give up her
place. Nevertheless, before doing so, she went to
consult Father Paul in Termonde. 'You cannot leave
your hotel/ he replied, 'you are honest and watchful,
and your daughters are in no danger.'

"in spite of his advice the widow gave up the
hotel and went into other business, but had no success.
Remembering Father Paul's advice, she bought back
her hotel, and from that time on prosperity returned.

"At the death of her parents, the daughter of a
farmer abandoned her farm and intended to enter a
convent. Father Paul advised her not to do so, and
told her to open a little store in the village, 'it will be
needless to advertise your wares,' he added, 'for you
will have plenty of customers.' From the very begin-
ning her business prospered." •

"Three of our children died within five weeks.
The oldest was taken sick and died at the end of fifteen
days, after having made her first Holy Communion on
her death-bed. Then a little boy of ten years died
without the blessing of the priest, and finally I lost a
baby only six weeks old. There was no one to console
me; my sadness was so much the greater because I
imagined that two of my children were still suffering in
purgatory. At last I had recourse to the Rev. Father
Paul, and had the happiness of finding in him that con-
solation which I had sought in vain elsewhere. He

A Lody of Borgerhout Writes:

114 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

said to me, 'if I had been with your children, they
would not have died. You would have preferred to
keep them, but they are happier now, for all three are
in heaven.'

"My older sister lived in our house and suffered
great pains in her stomach. Father Paul said to her,
'You will not die of this trouble, tell your mother.' Now
the thought that this sickness might cause the death of
my sister, had been worrying my mother for a long
time. Several years later my sister died of apoplexy.

"My sister Mary was very devout, but had little
confidence in Father Paul; yet one day she went to him
for advice. The Rev. Father said to her, 'if you have
no confidence in me, why do you come?' These words
greatly astonished her, and from that day on, Mary
showed the most perfect confidence in the Rev. Father."

One of Our Children,
four years old, was very delicate and sickly; her suffer-
ings were continual, and the frequent convulsions that
sometimes lasted several hours, made her a little mar-
tyr. Often after these attacks, the poor child lost her
speech, and an arm or a leg was paralyzed. The doctor
declared that only a miracle could save her. I spoke
to Father Paul about her, and he said, 'if I had been
with you, I would have put my hand on the child's
head and the convulsions would have ceased; but con-
sole yourselves, this affliction will have no serious con-
sequences. When the girl reaches the age of six or
seven years she will be completely cured, and no trace

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SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

of her sickness will remain; but pray much/ As the
child grew up, the convulsions became less frequent.
She has now reached her eighth year and is in perfect
health.

"And yet how often she met with accidents ! I
mention but two. One day the restless child fell from
the window to a platform, a distance of eight feet, with-
out being hurt in the least. *I have my scapular on/
she said calmly rising. A few months ago while taking
a walk with her older sister who held her by the hand,
she tore herself loose and rolled under the legs of a
horse that was drawing a wagon. The horse touched
her slightly with its foot and one of the wheels of the
wagon passed over her leg. A druggist of Antwerp, who
witnessed the accident, was sure that her limb was bro-
ken, but upon examination it was found intact; only a
slight, bluish mark showed where the wheel had passed.

"We often visited Father Paul, an/1 in all our affairs
he was our best counselor. "

In 1884, the doctor who was called to visit my sick
child, twenty months old, declared that he had menin-
gitis and was incurable. The nurse thought he had
typhus and would die in a few hours. Having heard
about Father Paul, I entreated my husband to go to
Steenbrugge. He drove there at once, entered the
church and was told that Father Paul was in his confes-
sional. The Rev. Father, as if he had been called, came
out of the confessional and said to my husband that he

A Lady of Bruges Says:

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

was ready to accompany him. A few minutes later, I
had the happiness of receiving him into our house.

About the same time the nurse and an assistant
priest of the Notre Dame parish entered, and in their
presence Father Paul put his hand on the forehead of
the child and prayed. Having finished his prayer, the
Rev. Father said, "The sickness is not in his head.,,

Then he put his hand on the breast of the dying
child, and after praying for some time, said, "it is
here. The child is in a very desperate condition; but
do not worry, he will soon be cured. Do exactly what
the doctor tells you." That very evening a decided
improvement was noticeable, and after a few days my
child was cured.

a little boy, three years old, who was covered from head
to foot with an eczema which caused him intolerable
pain. His mother and uncle brought him to Termonde
in 1895. "Tell me all the ^quarters in which you have
already sought relief, " said Father Paul to the mother;
to which she replied that she had been to several doc-
tors, to a druggist, to such a convent, and to such and
such a saint's shrine. "After that," continued Father
Paul, "you proposed to come here, and from that mo-
ment the child began to get better; but noticing the
improvement you abandoned your project, seeing that
the child began to get worse again, you have come here
at last." "All this is true !" exclaimed the astonished
mother. Father Paul continued, "it is useless for you

At Oostcomp There Lived

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

117

to apply elsewhere; this is the work of St. Benedict; he
will cure your child, or nobody will."

He then took the boy by the hand for a walk
through the garden, accompanied by the mother and the
uncle. The little fellow who till then had been a prey
to profound sadness became at once very lively, dis-
playing a remarkable precocity, so that Father Paul re-
marked, "This child is quite intelligent, he must be
cured. This summer he will go to school."

The Rev. Father prescribed a novena, gave a little
powder of the miraculous roses of St. Benedict for him
to take, and a medal which he was to wear. From that
time the child did not feel the least irritation and was
completely cured on the last day of the novena.

A Young Lady

of Antwerp thus writes: "i saw Father Paul for the
first time in the year 1887, at the monastery of Ter-
monde. For several months I had suffered from nerv-
ousness and stomach trouble, caused by my grief at the
death of my mother.

"Before I had uttered a word, Father Paul up-
braided me for sorrowing so much for her who is now
so happy in heaven. He said to me, 'Your mother
loved peace. She was very much devoted to the Bless-
ed Virgin, hence, she died on Saturday, which she so
much desired. Imitate her example, thus will you al-
so be very happy. As to your sickness, St. Benedict
will assist you, and another saint's intercession will
completely cure you.' Two years later, after many pray-

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Il8 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

ers and a pilgrimage to Lourdes, I was cured through
St. Anthony of Padua.

"in 1879 my father offered one of his houses for
sale or for rent. A tenant presented himself, but this
person not having a good reputation, my father refused
to deal with him. The man flew into a rage, cursing
my father and wishing him every evil. During three
months from that time, we received no new offer. I
spoke of it to Father Paul one day when he honored us
by a visit. He said, 'All the evil which that man has
wished you will fall back upon himself, and will do you
no harm. I shall pray and make a no vena to St. Bene-
dict, and before the end of the noveria, persons will
come ready to buy; but it is not certain that they will
come to a definite agreement. However, if you do not
sell the house, you will surely find a good tenant.'

"Hereupon, Father Paul left us. Half an hour
later, my father who had been away during Father Paul's
visit, came home and I repeated to him the encourag-
ing words of the Rev. Father. At the same time two
ladies came and inquired about the price of the proper-
ty, saying that the house, which they had inspected
pleased them. But the ladies never returned. Three
days later we rented the house to an excellent person
who after the death of my father bought the property,
and is still living there."

Father Benedict,
a young priest of the monastery of Steenbrugge, being
consumptive, expressed a desire of going to Lourdes to
be cured; but Father Paul, who was his prior, would

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SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

II9

not give his consent. Thereupon Father Benedict ap-
pealed to the Rt. Rev. Abbot of Afflighem who gave
him the necessary permission. Upon his departure
Father Paul declared that the patient would not be
cured, and his words proved only too true; for Father
Benedict died in the church of Lourdes during the time
when Father Paul said Mass in Steenbrugge. Immedi-
ately after his Mass Father Paul declared that during
the consecration he had seen the body of the deceased
being carried to the sacristy of the basilica at Lourdes.

being at the last extremity, one of her friends who was
acquainted with Father Paul proposed to her father to
have her carried to the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes
at Oostacker; but the father would not give his consent,
because the doctor had declared that the patient would
die on the way. As a last resource the friend wrote to
Father Paul for advice. He strongly recommended her
to urge the father to allow his daughter to be brought
by train to Oostacker, assuring her that the patient
would be cured at the grotto.

Yielding to these entreaties the mayor at last gave
his consent; there being no hope otherwise of saving
his daughter. The journey was made, but not without
great pain and difficulty. When the grotto had been
reached, and the invalid placed in an arm-chair before
the statue of our Lady, her friends began to recite the
rosary aloud. When the third decade of the rosary
had been recited, the invalid raised herself up, to the

The Daughter of a Village Mayor

120

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

great astonishment of those present; her complexion,
hitherto of an ashy paleness, began to assume its natural
color and a new breath of life animated her exhausted
body. The recitation of the rosary was continued and
soon the young lady to her great delight, was able to
walk around the grotto. She was cured.

who lived in Steenbrugge, suffered for a long time from
rheumatism which deprived her of all power of move-
ment. Ceaselessly she wept and complained. Upon
the request of her husband Father Paul paid her a visit
and touched her head and feet with his hand. At the
same instant the woman was able to get up; she was
cured.

In 1886 a woman of seventy-one years, living also
at Steenbrugge, was afflicted with rheumatism to such
a degree as to be unable to make a step, and the doctor
could do nothing for her. Father Paul went to her
house and said to her, "Oh, you will be able to walk
very well 1" The following year the woman began to
go out on crutches, and after a few days she could walk
with ease. And now at the age of eighty, she is as spry
as ever.

A Woman of Beveren,
who suffered from a deep wound in the leg, had been
unsuccessfully treated by her physician and a professor
from Louvain. Then she commissioned a friend of

A Woman ol Sixty Years

mtsr

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

121

hers to consult Father Paul, and he, without knowing
the patient, said, "The woman who sent you, has a
cancer below the knee, and part of the bone is already
exposed. I can do nothing for her; but let her make a
daily visit for a month to Our Lady of Gaverland : the
Blessed Virgin can obtain everything from her Divine
Son. The wound will be healed in the course of this
month. " The patient followed the advice of the Rev.
Father and was cured.

was dying of consumption. His wife realizing that
medical science was powerless, came to Termonde for
help. Father Paul listened to her with great kindness
and inquired if all the other members of the family were
well. "Alas 1" she replied sadly, "my youngest boy
cannot walk without crutches." "Very well, pray with
me : your husband will be spared to you, and your son
will not need his crutches much longer."

The husband was cured, and the same year, during
a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Montaign, the paralyzed
boy left his crutches there.

who lived in Knesselaere, had her left side paralyzed,
and besides was suffering from a disease of the spinal
marrow. As there was no longer any hope for her, a
friend induced her to have recourse to Father Paul,
and was kind enough to write to the Rev. Father herself.

In 1890, a Man ol Antwerp

A Lady ol Twenty-eight Years,

122

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

Father Paul sent her a medal to wear and prescribed a
novena to St. Benedict. On the third day of the no-
vena the invalid began to walk, and on the ninth day,
to the great amazement of the physician, her recovery
was complete.

tells the following story : "For a long time I suffered
so much in my abdomen that I feared I would have to
die. Instead of curing me, the physicians were not
even able to diagnose the nature of my sickness. I went
to see Father Paul in Termonde and described to him
my painful condition. The Rev. Father gave me a
strong blow with his hand on the abdomen, and from
that time I felt the pain no more."

a young girl who was consumptive had already lost one
lung. The help of Father Paul having been invoked in
her behalf, he simply replied, "She will be cured to-
morrow. " And so it happened. Since then she has
been married more than once, and to judge by her
healthy appearance, no one would ever suspect that
she has but one lung.

The woman in charge of the pews of the church,
seeing that the physician had no hope for her, implored
Father Paul to pray for her. The Rev. Father blessed
a bottle filled with water and put a medal of St. Benedict
into it; then he directed the patient to take daily three

A Countryman from Moll-Genebuiten

At Steenbrugge,

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

123

small glasses of the water. "But," they told him, "the
physician said if she takes even as much as a drop of
water she will die." "Not at all," replied Father Paul,
"let her do what I have told you: she will be cured
when she has finished the bottle." And so it was.

of Antwerp seriously injured his arm while working at
a sewer. He was taken to the hospital where he re-
mained for seven months. The arm grew so bad that
the physicians decided to amputate it; but the mason
refused to give his consent because in the meantime he
had heard of Father Paul, and was determined to have
recourse to him. The Rev. Father sent him word that
an operation was not necessary; he recommended him
to make a novena with great confidence to St. Benedict,
assuring him that he would be cured. On the last day
of the novena the arm was completely restored.

A leader of the nation at Antwerp suffered great
pains in his stomach for thirteen years. Having fol-
lowed without benefit the treatment of several physi-
cians, he betook himself to Father Paul and was cured
instantaneously.

A Working Woman of Thielt,
hearing of the sad condition of a gentleman who suffered
from spinal disease, advised him to have recourse to
Father Paul and kindly offered to accompany him.
Receiving the visitors, the Rev. Father said to the woman,

A Master-mason

124 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

"How did you dare to make such a journey? You are
in a worse state of health than you imagine; you might
have dropped dead on the way." "You frighten me,
Rev. Father," she replied; "but please help me. For
some time I have suffered cruelly in my throat; I have
great pain when I swallow and each time I feel as though
something rises up in my throat threatening to strangle
me. Rather than go to the physician I wished to see
you, the more so as the gentleman here offered to defray
the expenses of my journey."

"Yes, yes, you might have died on the way but I
shall cure you," Thereupon Father Paul with his hand
strongly squeezed the woman's neck and said, "Do you
feel that strange body disappear?" "Yes, and I am
greatly relieved." "Very well, go into the next room,
while I occupy myself with this gentleman. But you
will soon come back, for your affliction will return."
Father Paul listened to the complaints of his new visitor,
advised several novenas and promised a cure. The
prediction was verified; the patient recovered completely
and was married in Febuary 1901.

In the meantime the woman reappeared. "Ah!
are you again attacked?" "Alas!" Then the Rev.
Father put his right hand upon the throat and his left
hand around the neck of the patient, and applied a
strong pressure for about two minutes at the end of
which he said, "The affliction has now left you for
good." And so it was. At the same moment, when
Father Paul made a few steps, the woman heard a noise
as if somebody had struck the floor several times with
a hammer.

"What's the matter now ?" he said smiling. "You,

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SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

125

walk, perhaps the noise will be repeated." The woman
obeyed, but there was no noise. As soon as Father
Paul had made a few steps, the same knocks were heard.
"Oh !" he said laughing, 4 'it is the devil. "

of Antwerp suffered in .the last stages of dropsy, and
the physician believing that he could not survive more
than two days longer, recommended that he receive the
last sacraments. In the meantime, the son-in-law of
the dying man, being acquainted with Father Paul,
called upon him, and obtained a medal of St. Benedict,
and some powder of the miraculous roses. Father Paul
said to him, "Pray fervently for the patient, and I will
help you; and your father-in-law will soon be cured."
The following day, at the appointed hour several phy-
sicians met in consultation; but to their great surprise
they found the patient, who the day before was dying,
sitting up and smiling. He was completly restored to
health.

a valuable hog had died. The farmer complained of
his loss to Father Paul and received the following reply :

"it is your own fault: you did not pray." At the
moment, the farmer's memory was deficient, and there-
fore he maintained that he had prayed well according
to his usual custom.

"No," the Rev. Father replied, "you did not pray:

A Wealthy Gentleman

On a Farm in Oostcamp

126

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

you did not even recite the half of the Our Father. The
farmer thereupon remembered that, being too tired, he
really had neglected his prayers on that evening.

in a farmer's stable at Oostcamp. Every now and then
some accident befell the live-stock; their least movement
produced a sprain, a twist of the legs or partial paraly-
sis. Cases of limping and lameness were of daily
occurrence. In this despair the man had recourse to
Father Paul. He prescribed a novena and gave a medal
to fasten to the door of the stable. From that time all
trouble ceased. The farmer said that without Father
PauFs intervention his ruin would have been inevitable.

To another farmer who complained that he was
losing all his young pigs, Father Paul said, "God has
sent you here, there is still time for help; we shall drive
the evil into the water from which it will go into the
sea where it will no longer molest anybody. Otherwise
it would continue its work and attack the cows, then
the horses and at last the people." From that time
everything went well on the farm.

An Old Former of St. Michel,

near Bruges, whose wife was sick, had begged Father
Paul to accompany him to his home, for he trusted to
the intervention of the saintly Benedictine who cured
so many sick persons. The Rev. Father placed his

Strange Things Occurred

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

127

hand on the breast of the old lady and asked her if she
still felt the pain. She answered that she did not feel
any better. Father Paul again put the same question
and received the same answer : but after repeating the
question a third time, the patient cheerfully answered,
that she no longer felt any pain : she was cured.

The same farmer had trouble in his stable : three
very fine pigs had been attacked by an infectious dis-
ease, and in accordance with the law they were to be
killed. The farmer having complained of his bad
luck, the Rev. Father assured him that the pigs would
get well. "But," said the farmer, "will there be no
danger in eating their meat?" "Not at all," Father
Paul replied, "on the contrary it will be delicious."
Without any other remedy the pigs soon got well.

Then the farmer showed him a large calf that was
sick and refused to eat. He asked Father Paul if it
were not best to kill it. "But it is cured," the latter
replied, "just give it to drink, and you will see." When
the water was placed before the calf, it drank eagerly.
It was cured.

had found it impossible, for some length of time to
make butter. Having complained of it to Father Paul,
he gave her a medal to put into the churn during the
process of churning. Having followed this advice, she
declares that with the greatest ease she obtained butter,
superior both in quantity and quality to any she had
ever before made.

A similar case occurred on a large farm at Leeuw,

A Former's Wile of Liezele lez-Puers

128

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

a hamlet of Zedeleghem, with the exception in this case,
that the churning operations hatt been going on for a
whole year without any result. A veterinarian, having
for a long time doctored the cows in the hopes of im-
proving their milk, finally abandoned his efforts as use-
less. Then the farmer's wife went to Steenbrugge where
Father Paul said to her, "A lack of confidence ! Why
did you not come sooner ? Here is a medal and some
powder of the miraculous roses of St. Benedict; put
them into the churn and you will have butter."

The woman did so and everything went well for a
year, when the same trouble occurred again. She vis-
ited Father Paul once more and complained to him.
He gave her a second medal, and the butter had never
failed since.

things were going from bad to worse. Already there
had been a long series of misfortunes; the cattle, the
crops, nothing escaped the evil influence, even the milk
had become unpalatable. The farmers were rapidly
drifting towards inevitable ruin. In 1894 these good
people had recourse to Father Paul of whose great power
they had been informed. His answer was, ' 'The causes
of all this evil are the blasphemies and the impurity of
those who lived on the farm before you; but take
courage and do what I tell you. Pray with great con-
fidence and make use of the medal of St. Benedict."

The farmers followed the recommendations of the
Rev. Father, or at least they thought they had; but
fifteen days passed without any improvement. Father

On a Farm in Oostroosebeke

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

129

Paul being informed of this said that they had not
observed everything as he had directed, adding that if
they would follow his advice to the letter, they would
surely be delivered from their misfortunes. They did
so, and at the end of four weeks, the farm presented an
improved appearance and everything proceeded accord-
ing to their wishes.

A Contractor in Antwerp

had thirteen horses in the stable, and as if an evil spirit
hovered over them, twelve became sick in succession,
and died to the great grief of the unhappy owner who
could not explain the cause of the disaster. He had
recourse to Father Paul, who visited the stable, prayed
there and gave a medal to be hung on the wall; he also
told the proprietor that he might have the stable cal-
somined, but that this was not absolutely necessary, and
that he might now restock the stable without having
anything to fear. The thirteen horses remained well,
the stable was filled with other horses, and the disease
did not reappear.

A Young Girl of Waloon

who had run away from home, left, at the same time the
path of honor and virtue. After many vain endeavors
to induce her to return to the bosom of her family, her
heart-broken mother betook herself to Steenbrugge and
asked the advice of Father Paul. "You have come to
consult me," the Rev. Father replied, "but you did
wrong in delaying until now, for you were told long ago

* 9

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LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

to take this step. Your daughter obstinately refuses
to return. Some priests have made vain attempts to
induce her to do so, but I shall make her come home
before three months have elapsed. Between now and
then a serious event will take place in your family, but
do not grieve excessively over it. Have confidence and
courage, and pray fervently."

Two months later the woman lost a son, and im-
mediately afterwards the lost sheep returned to the fold.

owned a little patch of land which they tilled and care-
fully cultivated. But alas ! a severe hail-storm visited
the neighborhood, and injured the crops that gave
bright promise of a rich harvest. In order to secure
themselves against further damage, they had recourse
to Father Paul for protection. He advised them to
bury four medals of St. Benedict in the four corners of
the field, and his instructions were immediately com-
plied with. A few days afterwards, a second and still
more violent hail- storm utterly ruined the crops in the
vicinity. But the little field protected by St. Benedict
escaped untouched, and in due time produced a splen-
did harvest.

in which the flax was beginning to come up, was devas-
tated by insects. In his despair the owner went to
Father Paul and complained of the misfortune. "Here

Some Poor Peasants

A Field

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

131

is a medal, " the Rev. Father said, "put it into your
field, and the flax will start to grow again." The man
did as he was told and reaped a fine harvest.

A country curate cultivated a little field near his
house, but in spite of every care, the weeds sprang up
in such abundance that it was difficult to raise a crop.
He complained of it to Father Paul, who gave him four
medals of St. Benedict to be buried in the four corners
of his little plot. The weeds disappeared as if by magic.

begged Father Paul to cure his sick child. The usual
prescriptions were given; to wear a medal of St. Bene-
dict, to dip another into all the drink of the child, and
to make a novena in honor of St. Benedict. Ten days
later, the woodcutter returned and said to the Rev.
Father, "My child is not better...." "Because you
prayed only three days 1" They made a complete no-
vena and the child was cured.

complained to Father Paul that he had a succession of
misfortunes with his cattle. Thereupon Father Paul
reminded him that he had in his employ a one-armed
cow-boy to whom all the misfortune might be attributed.
"He has secretly in his possession books treating of
magic; while in the army, he attempted to commit sui-
cide, but the bullet instead of entering his head, pene-

A Woodcutter

A Farmer of Assebrouk

132 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

trated his arm, which had to be amputated." The farm-
er then recalled having observed the cow-boy deeply
absorbed in reading a book, which he endeavored to
conceal. He was at once discharged, and all the farm-
er's ill-luck ceased.

A Farmer's Wife im Varssenaere

was overwhelmed with misfortunes. There was a suc-
cession of sicknesses in her house, which spared neither
her children nor her cattle. She spoke to Father Paul
about it. "There is an old woman who sometimes
comes to your house and to whom you have already
done a great deal of good," the Rev. Father replied;
"she won't come again, and your troubles will stop.
Go home, you will meet the old woman on the road,
but don't talk to her." • It happened as Father Paul
foretold. She met the evil-minded woman, but the
latter never again was seen on the farm, and all sickness
disappeared.

A Countryman from Meldert

discovered that a large sum of money had been taken
out of his trunk. This happened one summer evening
at seven o'clock. In despair the man went at once to
the abbey of Afflighem and complained of his loss to
Father Paul. The Rev. Father promised to look into
the matter. That same evening the stolen money
was found in the trunk. The daughter of this man,
who now (1897) lives in Denderbelle and who told the
foregoing story, does not remember the other details

Digitized by

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

133

connected with the affair. This wonderful case of
restitution happened more then twenty-five years ago,
when Father Paul was charged with the reestablishment
of the old abbey of Afflighem.

Five hundred francs in gold were stolen from a
country-woman of Steenbrugge, one Saturday in August
1886. She had the money in a small linen bag in her
clothes-press. The theft must have occurred the even-
ing before. The woman carried her complaint to the
mayor, but without any effect. On the following Tues-
day, towards evening she had recourse to Father Paul.
"Go home quietly," he replied, "the money will be
returned to you; the thief will be forced to bring back
in his own person what he stole from you."

The woman was unable to close her eyes all that
night. She rose at four o'clock and explored again all
the corners and recesses of her house; at last she came
to a door in the rear which had a small opening at the
bottom, and there, to her great joy, she found all her
beautiful gold pieces scattered over the floor. The
thief must have come during the night to make restitu-
tion in that novel manner.

overwhelmed with sorrow because her son had left her,
and no one knew whither he had gone, came to Father
Paul for consolation. "Don't worry," said the Rev.
Father, "he will return within three days; and he will
remain at home to be your support, but do not tell him
that you were to see me." Three days later, the young

A Woman of Steenbrugge,

134

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

man, who had procured employment as a farm-hand in
a distant village, was seated at dinner with his employ-
er, when suddenly he became strangely agitated. To
the astonishment of all present, he left the farm, and
hastened toward Steenbrugge. Almost breathless and
bathed in perspiration, he entered the house of his
parents, who were confidently awaiting his arrival.

"What has happened here," he inquired, "that I
have been irresistibly forced to return ?" "Oh, nothing
serious," answered his mother, in a calm tone of voice,
"and you see we are all in the best of health, thank
God." "Very well, mother, I will never leave you
again, and we will all work together."

at St Gilles, near Termonde, relates the following
stories : —

"For several days my child was suffering and crying
all the time. I went to Termonde and complained to
Father Paul. *Oh, that's nothing/ he replied, — 'even
now your child does not cry anymore, and by the time
you return, it will be cured.' And so it was.

"We had sold our crop of hemp to a merchant;
but when he came to make his purchase, he noticed the
presence of little worms, and refused to pay the price
agreed upon. I then saw Father Paul and complained
to him of the failure of our bargain, whereupon he
said, 'The insects are on the point of dying.' And
sure enough, as soon as I came home we found the
insects all dead, strewn about the ground.

The Wife of a Former

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

135

"We also had a field of turnips, the leaves of which,
unfortunately, were eaten up by the caterpillars. I went
again to Father Paul, and complained to him of this
new trouble, but he replied, just as he had done in the
case of our hemp, 'Don't worry; the caterpillars are
dying.' On my return these injurious insects were lying
lifeless on the ground."

In a Field of Beets

different kinds of insects caused great damage. The
farmer called on Father Paul to tell him of his threat-
ened interests, and asked bis advice and assistance. The
Rev. Father gave him two Benedictine medals and told
him to put each in a corner of the field which was
threatened. "Do not put them" he said, "in two
adjacent corners, but in the two opposite corners of
your plot of ground which is square."

The peasant obeyed and carefully marked the spot
where the medals were buried, in order to be able to
find them later on and preserve them religiously. In
this, however, he did nothing else but what a number
of Father Paul's privileged clients were doing.

The field at once assumed a better appearance
and, yielding to curiosity, the owner determined to have
a look at the medals. What was his surprise when he
found each medal surrounded by myriads of withered
insects which seemed to have met by appointment near
the medals destined to destroy them. The insects were
gathered up by the farmer and brought to the Benedic-
tines of Termonde as a convincing proof of the power
of the blessed medals.

Digitized by

136

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

A Good Merchant of Antwerp,

who had three small children, two boys and a girl, found
his affairs going from bad to worse as if some evil genius
had brought misfortune to his home. Among those
who brought provisions to the store there was a country
woman about forty years of age who from time to time
delivered her products, such as eggs, butter, milk, fruits,
and vegetables.

One day in 1890, this woman gave the older boy a
few apples and shortly after, the child was taken so
sick, that the physician, who confessed that he was
unable to understand the nature of the illness, declared
there was no hope of his recovery. Four other physi-
cians arrived at the same conclusion. The parents
noticed strange occurrences, that took place with this
boy the cause of which they could not explain : when a
blessed statuette of St. Joseph or any other blessed
object was presented to the child he was afflicted with
extreme terror. The boy finally died, and then the
same sickness befell his little brother.

In the meantime the country woman continued to
bring her provisions to the store. One day these words
escaped her: "is the little one not dead yet?" but it
was only later that they were understood.

Following the advice of an acquaintance of Father
Paul, the sorrowing father went to Termonde and sub-
mitted his sad case to the saintly Benedictine. This is
what Father Paul said to him : "it is never well to allow
strangers to give children apples, candy, or similar
things; your little boy will soon be a beautiful angel in
heaven."

The child died soon after and Father Paul came to

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

*37

visit the parents at their home; he offered a prayer and
gave a medal of St. Benedict to be attached to the wall
of the store, saying that as long as he lived the woman
would not again put her foot into their house. So it
was and from that day the affairs of this merchant began
to prosper. The Rev. Father also told them, if the
wicked woman ever returned, they should send her
away, but without anger.

Father Paul died the night of February 24, 1896,
five minutes to eleven, and the next morning at nine, and
before the news of his death had become known, the
evil-minded woman, who lived two miles from Antwerp,
came to the store, not however, to bring any provisions,
but to buy some trifle. "Give me some pieces of soap,"
she said. "We have no soap," said the merchant impa-
tiently, hardly able to contain himself; and told her to go.

"Well, then," she said "give me a broom." The
merchant replied that he had none; then she wanted two
small candles, but the merchant refused to sell her any-
thing and finally told her to get out of the store. "How
everything has changed here !" she exclaimed.

Some time before the death of his two sons the
merchant had been visited by two Carmelite Fathers
who were his friends. One of them spoke to him of
the great power of the medals of St. Benedict and sent
him one which afterwards was worn by his little daugh-
ter. The merchant ascribes the preservation of his
only child to the wearing of that medal.

In the course of another visit Father Paul said to
these people, "You do not expect any more children,
but you will have one. It will be a boy." The predic-
tion was fulfilled.

138

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

To a Notary

who was bitterly disappointed at having no offspring,
Father Paul said, 'Do not worry, you will have a son,
and you will not lose him." These words came true,
and Father Paul's memory is kept sacred in that family.
The son was given the name of Paul after the saintly
religious.

in Flanders writes : "in November 1894, in the course
of my visits, I was suddenly seized with a violent chill,
so much so that I was hardly able to keep warm by a
brisk walk. Having reached home, I had to go to bed.
A high fever, accompanied by general indisposition and
profuse perspiration, soon broke out, there were sharp
pains in the region of the stomach, in a word, there
appeared all the symptoms of a serious gastric complaint,
aggravated by perityphlitis. I could not make the
slightest movement without feeling great pain.

"Seeing that nothing gave me relief, my son, also
a doctor, went to Termonde to find Father Paul, who
for a long time had been our friend, adviser, and bene-
factor, and whose sanctity was well known to us.
Father Paul told my son that I would be cured. He
prescribed a novena to Our Blessed Lady and St. Bene-
dict and promised that he would join in it. He also
told me to wear a medal of St. Benedict, to dip it into
my drinks, and take some of the powder of the mirac-
ulous roses of St. Benedict. We all had full confidence
in the words of the Rev. Father, and on the very day

The Doctor of an Important Place

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

139

of the feast of the Immaculate Conception I was per
fectly cured.

"Again in October 1896, as I was coming home,
all at once I had a violent hemorrhage in consequence
of a congestion of the lungs. My family and I made a
novena in honor of St. Benedict and of Father Paul,
promising a visit to the tomb of the late lamented Fa-
ther if I would be cured. Having applied an old letter
of the Rev. Father to my chest, the hemorrhage stopped,
and at the end of two weeks I was on the way to re-
covery. Some weeks later, my health was perfectly
restored.

"One day as I was speaking to the Rev. Father
about a tumor which defied all treatment, I asked him if
an operation was not necessary. The saintly man re-
plied that I should not submit to an operation; the tumor
would be cured of its own accord. In the course of
time it disappeared. I retain the most grateful recol-
lection of the prophetic words of this holy religious."

"Shortly after the birth of my third child, I became
sick, and remained ill for seven years. My sister so
often spoke to me of Father Paul, that I decided to go
to Steenbrugge with my husband. 'You are very sick,'
the Rev. Father said to me, 'and the stomach trouble
from which you suffer is caused by some vexation or
other, which is the greatest scourge of women. There
is no reason for your vexation; you blame some mem-
ber of your family, but what can you do? Nothing.

A Lody of Bruges soys:

140 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

There is no family without troubles. If you stop think-
ing about it, the vexation will pass away and you will
be perfectly restored within two years. And once you
are cured, the good God will yet give you two children. '
The prediction came true, I was cured after two years,
and we were blessed with two more children. "

A Young Lady of Bruges

was commissioned by a friend to ask the prayers of
Father Paul for the successful issue of a certain affair
which she desired to keep secret from the Rev. Father,
as well as her name. When the messenger arrived at
Steenbrugge Father Paul revealed to her the matter for
the success of which she had come to ask his prayers
and added, "Tell the person who sent you that this
affair will be settled in accordance with her wishes."

Father Paul said to a Young Lady

who came to visit him, "A very heavy cross is in store
for you.... Are you not afraid of it?" "Oh, well,"
she replied, "it will probably not be so heavy when it
comes." "Ah, but it will, and you will groan under
the weight of it. But come afterwards, and I will help
you to carry it."

A few weeks later her brother-in-law committed
suicide, and all the relatives were overwhelmed with
grief. Remembering Father Paul's invitation the young
lady returned to the monastery, and the Rev. Father

Digitized by

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

141

gave her some reasuring information concerning the
state of the soul of the deceased, saying, "Your brother-
in-law committed suicide in a fit of fever and was not
responsible. He was very good to his wife and children
and was beloved by them; but all his thoughts were
centered on the material things of the world, he never
thought of the future of his soul which is now in the
depths of purgatory. You must pray a great deal for
him." Then Father Paul went over the whole life of the
deceased, as if he had followed his career step by step.

commissioned a servant of the convent to have the cross
of her rosary blessed by Father Paul, but should not
tell him to whom the cross belonged. Having blessed
the cross the Rev. Father said, "Tell that sister that
I pray for her; she suffers from heart disease, but that
will soon pass away." Then the Rev. Father gave a
medal of St. Benedict for the nun, and prescribed a
novena.

Father Paul pointed his finger at her and said, "You
allow yourself to be tortured by scruples. That is bad.
The good God is not pleased with scrupulous persons.
Tell me what it is." "i dare not," she replied.

"Tell it anyway." "i am ashamed."

"Ah, go on; let us see !"

"No, I am too bashful. . . . you say it yourself !"

A Nun from Ranst (Lierre)

Receiving a Young Lady from Eecloo

142

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

Then Father Paul told her in detail what the scruple
was and added, ' 'Above all, don't tell it in the con-
fessional for it is ridiculous. And don't be scrupulous
any longer."

The young lady also had a fleshy growth on her
hand. Father Paul noticing it, asked her what it was,
and she replied that she had that eight years. The
Rev. Father then took her hand and pressed his thumb
with all his force upon the tumor. "Oh ! you hurt
me," the lady exclaimed. But Father Paul continued
the pressure for a while.

The next day at home, she noticed two little boys
teasing each ether, and one of them struck with some
force the hand of his little companion. The young
lady reproved him for it saying, "This is not good, for
by striking one like that you may cause an injury like
the one I have here," showing her hand and at the same
time looking severely at the boy.

"Well," the latter asked laughing, "what have you
there?" Then the young lady noticed that the fleshy
excrescence on her hand had disappeared without leav-
ing the least trace.

was tramping over the country, making dupes of the
superiors of religious communities, where he demanded
alms for some fictitious good work. In the last place
he succeeded in cheating the superior of a charitable
institution in Bruges out of ten francs, and from there
he went to the monastery of Steenbrugge where the
prior, Father Paul, received him, but gave him no

A Trappist Brother

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

143

chance to detail his lies; on the contrary he was thus
severely addressed by the Rev. Father: "You have
escaped from your monastery and spend your time in
deceiving the people; you are begging for yourself."

"How do you know that ?" the stranger asked full
of confusion. "Return at once to your monastery where
they will again receive you," dryly replied Father Paul
and sent the brother on his way.

A Man Leading a Wicked Life
actuated by a spirit of merriment, paid a visit to Father
Paul in Antwerp. The Rev. -Father spoke to him in a
severe, and at the same time sweet tone, these words :
"Change your life and do not blaspheme any longer."
The visitor was so surprised and touched by the insight
of the saintly man that he at once made a sincere con-
fession, and thenceforth, led an edifying life.

A Young Man

in the last stages of consumption, daily expected his
death. Two of his friends jokingly suggested that he go
to see Father Paul. "You treat the matter sneeringly;
very well, I will go," replied the poor invalid. "As we
desire to witness a miracle, we will accompany you,"
said the two friends.

At Antwerp they were received by Father Paul who
said to the sick man, "Your condition is most serious,
but God will have pity on you; you will be cured."

Digitized by

144

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

To him who had indulged the most in raillery, the Rev.
Father said, "Two months from now you will die;
prepare yourself for a good death, for soon you will
appear before God." To the third he said, "Change
your manner of life and be converted, for the state of
your conscience is deplorable."

These predictions were fulfilled; the sick man was
cured and the second died, while the third is now lead-
ing an exemplary life. These three young men were
inhabitants of Borgerhout.

when speaking of Father Paul, had the habit of calling
him in mockery, the Father with the medals. But when
his daughter took sick, he deemed it well to cease his
raillery, and more advisable to have recourse to the
good religious in order to obtain the cure of his child.
Father Paul told him that his irreligious conduct was
the only cause of the great pains which his daughter
suffered, and as he gave him a medal for her, he added,
"Here you have a medal for your child from the father
with the medals."

wishing to make her confession to Father Paul made a
long examination of conscience; this time she was going
to tell everything, absolutely everything that burdened
her, and consequently she had enough material on hand
to fill a journal. Quite satisfied with the great collec-

A Peasant from the Suburbs of Ghent

A Young Lady of Antwerp

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

145

tion of faults which she was going to tell, she entered
the confessional still preoccupied with the long list of
sins which she had carefully arranged and classified in
her excellent memory.

Father Paul, however, leaving his penitent no time
to speak, said to her, "Let us see, now tell me every-
thing, don't be bashful, tell me everything, absolutely
everything."

The lady made an attempt to begin, but could not
recall a single point of all those things she had prepared
as subject-matter of confession. Father Paul repeatedly
encouraged her, saying, "Don't be bashful, tell every-
thing, " but the young lady was unable to remember a
syllable of all she had. so carefully prepared, so that at
last she blurted out, "You are a queer confessor, when
I come to you I don't know any more what to say."
"indeed," said Father Paul, "keep all your baggage,
for it won't be heavy to carry."

A Sister from the Neighborhood of Termonde Soys:
"One day I went to the church of the Benedictines
of Termonde to go to confession to Father Paul whom
as yet I did not know; but I saw that his confessional
was vacant. Whilst I was walking away I heard a
sound and returning saw Father Paul seated in his con-
fessional. It was he who had called me, although I
had not seen anybody enter the church.

"Entering the confessional, I told him that I was
somewhat embarrassed, not knowing how to begin.
*Oh, that is nothing,' he replied, *I myself shall make

Digitized by

146

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

your confession.' And this he really did, to my great
astonishment, going into minute details and in such a
manner that I did not need to add a single word."

gave to one of his friends, a farmer of Oostcamp, a
number of medals which he was to bury in every one of
his fields, in order to prevent the evil one from injuring
.the crops. And truly, that protection was marvelous
as the following example will show :

Another farmer had just cut the grass on a meadow
adjoining the farm of Father Paul's friend. The weather
was delighful, but suddenly a tornado appeared above
the horizon and soon dark clouds were driven rapidly
onward by a violent wind in the direction of the fields
wherein both farmers just then were superintending their
workmen. The path of the storm was marked by a
heavy shower of rain which inundated the fields and
overthrew the crops. This misfortune befell the farmers
of all that vicinity; but as soon as the tornado ap-
proached the farm protected by the medals of St. Bene-
dict, it changed its course, and in so doing produced
a strange phenomenon. For, while all the country
around was obscured by dark clouds, the sun continued
to shine brilliantly on the farm in question, and not a
drop of rain fell on it.

Owing to excessive rain, the potato crop in 1894
was very poor; yet on the farm before mentioned, the
crop of potatoes was abundant. A neighboring farmer
who assisted at the digging of the precious tubers, could

Father Paul

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

147

not explain this exceptional good fortune, and shaking
his head he said to the lucky farmer, "This is not natu-
ral ! I am more and more convinced that you are a
sorcerer." "Sorcerer?" the farmer replied, "nothing
of the sort, these good results are the effect of the medals
and prayers of our great friend Father Paul."

The same farmer was told by Father Paul that the
medals of St. Benedict protect the fields from caterpil-
lars, spiders, snails, and other vermin. These things,
he added are from the evil one and we have the power
to repel them. From the time that the farmer had the
good fortune of becoming acquainted with Father Paul,
his crops have been preserved from noxious insects.

asked of Father Paul the cure of a niece who lived in
Iseghem and whose diseased nose caused her intolerable
sufferings. The Rev. Father prescribed for the patient
to wash her entire body in water blessed with a medal
of St. Benedict and to snuff some of the water into her
nose. Two months passed and the nose not being cured,
the person returned to the monastery and reported the
failure of the cure.

"i believe it," the Rev. Father replied, "your niece
did not do what I told you." And so it was, for the
patient afterwards confessed that she had soon lost pa-
tience continuing the applications as prescribed by
Father Paul. When at last she complied with the pre-
scriptions, she was restored to perfect health.

A Person from Thielt

148 LIFE OF* FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

A Servant Girl of Thielt

having heard of Father Paul, told her confessor, a Re-
collet Father, that she was going to see the saintly
Benedictine; but he formally forbade her to do so.
Later on this same Recollet Father became ill, where-
upon he engaged the servant girl to visit Father Paul
and charged her to ask him for a cure. The girl was
greatly comforted by her interview with Father Paul.
When she was through with her own affairs she de-
manded the cure of the Recollet Father to which Father
Paul replied, ' 'Give him a medal, but he won't be cured. "
The Father died soon after.

A Youth

now (1897) a religious in the monastery of Courtrai,
suffered from fits of epilepsy. In 1882, his aunt brought
him to Steenbrugge. Father Paul prescribed a novena
to St. Benedict and assured him that he would be deliv-
ered from his terrible affliction as long as he wore the
medal of St. Benedict, "if you cease to wear it," he
said, ''the evil will return."

After several years the terrible disease again mani-
fested itself; and the young man's family recalling Father
Paul's words, inquired if the medal was still attached
to his scapular to which it had been affixed. The re-
currence of the affliction was explained, for behold !
the medal had fallen off and was lost. Another medal
of St. Benedict was soon procured and securely fastened
to his scapular, and since then the attacks of epilepsy
have not returned.

Digitized by

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

149

A Gentleman

desirous of employing his leisure time profitably, told
Father Paul that he wished to devote himself to paint-
ing. "Very well," the Rev. Father replied, "go to
work and I will help you with my prayers, and you will
become a celebrated artist." In the course of his stud-
ies the artist wrote frequently to his Benedictine master
about the paintings he had made; and without having
seen the canvasses, Father Paul replied in the language
of an expert artist, giving sound advice and predicting
the success of the paintings which he approved.

A Young Man

had left the paternal roof to try his fortunes in America.
His parents were very anxious about him, for they re-
ceived no news from him. In 1895 his mother went to
confide her trouble to Father Paul. "Madam," he re-
plied, "your son died on such a day, but he died like a
Christian, fortified by the last sacraments." Two weeks
later the lady received from the priest who had attended
the young man in his last illness, a letter confirming
the facts revealed by Father Paul.

Father Paul Foretold

a woman from St. Gilles, near Termonde, that she would
be accused of theft. "But I never stole !" the woman

all the same they will accuse you of it, but don't be

exclaimed.

I know that, nor will you ever steal; but

ISO LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

worried." This woman had a boarder in her house.
Now, a few days later this stranger accused the woman
of having stolen his pocket money. Afterwards the
man declared that the money, without his noticing it,
had slipped between the mattress and the side of his bed.

A Young Composer
had been advised to make the acquaintance of the Rev.
Father Paul. Having paid him a visit he exclaimed,
"What an extraordinary man this Rev. Father is ! One
might, indeed, believe that he knows everything !" Fa-
ther Paul had talked music to him like a master.

A Woman of Termonde,
visiting Father Paul, told him of the many misfortunes
that assailed her from all sides, "i sympathize with
you," he replied. "You are truly to be pitied; I shall
help you drink your chalice." From that day the
woman was delivered from her troubles.

A Gentleman of Bruges

and friend of Father Paul, feeling somewhat indisposed
thought he had an attack of influenza, a disease then
prevailing. In a letter to the Rev. Father he declared
his fear, but received the following answer : "Your in-
disposition is but a slight one and will soon disappear;

Digitized by

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

you will not have an attack of influenza, for I shall pray
for that." The malady did not touch the ward of Fa-
ther Paul nor any member of his family.

"Some Years Ago,"
writes a lady of Antwerp, Sept. 5, 1898, "i went to
Termonde with my second son who wished to enlist in
the navy. The Rev. Father said to me, 'Do not permit
your son to cross the ocean, for you shall not see him
again.' These words prevented my son from leaving
home; but in 1897 he asked for a position in the service
of the Congo and obtained it, and I did not succeed in
keeping him from it. He left June sixth, and died in
Boma the twenty-sixth of July following, after having
received the last rites of the church."

A Young Soldier from Oostcomp
returned to his family, after finishing four years of
military service. As he had neglected to go to confes-
sion during this time, his mother asked him to go to
Father Paul which he did. He relates, that having
finished his accusation the Rev. Father asked him, if
he had nothing else to tell, to which he gave a negative
answer. Father Paul insisted that there was something
else, but the young man replied that he remembered
nothing more.

"Were you not acquainted with a young girl in
Brussels and promised to marry her?" "That's true."

Digitized by

152 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

"And did you leave her under the impression that you
came from the Waloon country?" "Yes, Father."

"Well this poor girl is wandering all over the
Waloon country in quest of you, begging her bread,
with an infant in her arm, and this child is yours ....
You must marry her." "But I do not know where she
is," pleaded the young man. "You have enough money
in your pocket; take a train to Brussels and go to the
house where you first met her, she will join you there."

The soldier, repentant, took the first train to
Brussels and went to the house indicated by Father
Paul. The marriage took place, and now the pair are
living happily together.

A Merchant of Eecloo

despaired of saving his daughter who had been given
up by the physicians. One day he was trying on a new
overcoat which he had ordered from his tailor in
Ghent, and was astonished to find in one of the pockets
a bright new medal of St. Benedict. A few days after-
wards the merchant visited one of his customers in
Ursel and spoke to her of the sad condition of his
child. This person, who knew Father Paul, advised
him to have recourse to St. Benedict who, she said,
works great wonders through the medium of a certain
Father Paul of the monastery in Steenbrugge.

"St. Benedict! St. Benedict!" exclaimed the
merchant as if in a dream, "why do you speak to me
of St. Benedict?"

"Why this astonishment?"

The merchant then told her how he had found the

Digitized by

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

153

medal in the pocket of his new overcoat, and saw
therein a dispensation of Divine Providence. It was,
therefore, an easy matter for the lady to inspire the
merchant with great confidence in the powerful inter-
cession of Father Paul. He had recourse to the Rev.
Father and thus tells the story of the cure of his child :
"My daughter, fifteen years old, was very ill on
account of neglected pleurisy, and through a complica-
tion of several other diseases, her case had become
desperate. Father Paul arrived, touched for an instant
the patient's sides and said, 'Oh ! this will be nothing.'
The next day my daughter was completely cured.

a former penitent of Father Paul, writes as follows :
"The Rev. Father said to me one day, 'Oh, what a
great treasure is the love of Jesus ! Come tomorrow
morning, I will pray for you and ask that you may
experience even a little drop (een spellekop) of this
love of Jesus.'

"I went to Steenbrugge early the next morning, and
Father Paul said to me, 'Before approaching the Holy
Table you will 1. Make an act of contrition; 2. Ask
the Blessed Virgin to give you her maternal blessing in
order to obtain through her intercession the grace of
receiving her dear Son into your heart with a love as
intense as all the love with which Jesus has ever been
loved; 3. Pray to St. Joseph, St. Benedict, and St.
Scholastica, and all the saints of heaven, and especial-
ly your guardian angel to obtain this favor for you

A Young Lady, .

154

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

through the intercession of Our Blessed Lady.' When
the divine office was over, and I was alone in the
church, Father Paul came to me and said, 'Repeat once
more the acts which I have taught you, as a preparation
for Holy Communion.'

"After that I knelt down at the railing while the
Rev. Father prepared to give me Holy Communion.
Suddenly I perceived a perfume so delicious that I was
quite distracted by it. I imagined that one of the lay-
brothers must have brought a bouquet of flowers. I
raised my eyes and to my great astonishment, I saw
Father Paul standing before me in ecstasy, raised a con-
siderable distance above the ground, and holding the
sacred host. I cannot tell exactly how long he contin-
ued in this attitude, but I think it was at least five
minutes. It would be impossible for me to describe
how attractive the countenance and attitude of the
Rev. Father appeared, and the atmosphere was scented
with the most delicious perfume of roses and other
flowers, such as I had never before experienced.

"Father Paul then advanced, and placed on my
tongue the Bread of angels. My emotion was so great
that I found it impossible to formulate any prayer. I
was barely able to say, 'Lord Jesus, how admirable
Thou art to those who know and love Thee !' After
Communion Father Paul invited me to the parlor of
the monastery and there he said, 'Well, are you now
satisfied to have received our Lord?'

" 'Yes/ I answered, 'and this pleasure is so great
that one might lose one's head.'

" 'Certainly,' he continued, 'such a thing is possi-
ble, but not for you, who have not advanced that far.

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

155

St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi experienced this happiness;
one day her heart was so overflowing with love, that she
ran around the convent three times, crying out unceas-
ingly, O Love ! O Jesus, my Love ! Those who saw her
said she had gone mad; but her madness consisted in
possessing, to a high degree the treasure of love. Would
you also like to become a child of love?' 'is such a
thing possible ?' I asked. 'Everything is possible,' he
replied, 'with good will and the grace of God.' 'But
what must I do ?' 'in the first place, you must refuse
the fortune which has been offered you: secondly, you
must avoid being particular as to dress; thirdly, do all
your actions for the love Jesus.'

" 'And is that sufficient?' 'Yes,' he replied, 'be-
cause when we wish to teach an infant to walk alone,
we go about it step by step. When I wish to teach any
one the love of Jesus and put him on the road of a
perfect life, he must proceed slowly, step by step. If
a beginner wishes to abandon himself to a life of ex-
cessive penance, he ruins his health; his soul, also,
becomes sick, and then he renders himself incapable of
doing any good whatever. Therefore, great prudence
is needed and little by little one arrives at the top of
the mountain of the cross. Such is the school of the
interior life which leads to the port of salvation and
love. In this school you will learn to know yourself,
to humble yourself, and to exercise yourself in works of
charity. Be prudent, pray much, follow my counsel
and your life will be happy.

" 'Yet, understand well that to the children of the
love of Jesus, crosses are never wanting, and these
crosses sometimes come from those for whom they

i56

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

have done much good, sometimes even from their best
friends. But if you have courage and do violence to
yourself, Jesus the Well-Beloved will keep near you in
order to support you under your crosses. Where there
is a good will, grace is never wanting.

" (I have no time to say more about the subject now.
You may come back from time to time to learn how to
cultivate in your heart the tree of love. You may take
me for your guide. Good-by, my child; have courage.
May the blessing of God be with you. Praised be Jesus
Christ !' "

to a religious community at Bruges, the sisters declare
they noticed that the Rev. Father while passing from
one room to another, hardly moved his feet but seemed
to glide over the floor rather than step upon it.

reports that sometimes she saw Father Paul raised above
the ground. He would first distract her attention else-
where, saying for example, "just look at those beautiful
pigeons in the garden !" But when she turned around,
after having looked at the pigeons, she would see the
Rev. Father raised a few feet above the ground absorbed
in an ecstasy which lasted about ten minutes.

A young lady from Ghent paid a visit to Father
Paul in 1889. In the course of the conversation he
suddenly stopped and exclaimed, "For the love of

During a Visit oi Father Paul

A Person from Ghent

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

157

Jesus !" and as if wrapt in ecstasy, he was raised about
three feet above his chair and remained thus eight or
ten minutes; then he slowly descended upon his chair
and resumed the conversation.

"As I one day visited Father Paul at Termonde
with my cousin, he spoke to both of us about things
that were absolutely secret, and which we had not con-
fided to him. My cousin and myself looked at each
other in astonishment.

"Another time, being at the church of the Bene-
dictines in Termonde, and seeing there how the Rev.
Father Paul gave to the people a relic to kiss, I saw to
my great astonishment, a shining aureole surrounding
his head.

Father Paul was dining at the house of a lady in Bruges.
As the servant in the middle of the repast, reentered
the room she suddenly uttered a cry of astonishment
as she looked at the Rev. Father. The hostess, at a
loss to understand such unusual conduct, demanded
an explanation, saying, "What's the matter with you ?
Surely it is not the first time you have seen the Rev.
Father Paul."

But the servant, confused and speechless, was un-
able to explain herself. The fact is that she saw Father
Paul all rejuvenated, appearing to be not more than

A Person from Beveren Writes:

One Day in 1888

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

about thirty years of age, his head surrounded by a
brilliant aureole about a foot in diameter. When Father
Paul met the servant after dinner he asked her why she
had made such a noise. "Why, because you had a star
on your head," replied the servant, who had not yet
recovered from her surprise, "Yes, yes, that is all
right," Father Paul said nonchalently, and walked away.

from the monastery of Steenbrugge, Father Paul put up
at the house of an old invalid lady at Schaerbeek. At
seven o'clock in the evening there was a reunion of the
inmates of the house, including besides the old lady, a
sister who nursed the patient, a young lady from Ghent,
and another lady. The sister, having asked the Rev.
Father to say a few words on the great subject of which
he loved to treat best of all, namely, the love of God,
as soon as he had begun his discourse, all at once saw
him transfigured. His face had become white as snow,
while a brilliant aureole surrounded his head, and lighted
up the room in an astonishing manner. Father Paul
appeared to be quite rejuvenated. With an eloquence
simple and sublime, he kept his audience spell-bound,
communicating to all the burning love which overflowed
from his heart.

Fearing that the ecstasy might carry him to the
points of death, they requested him three times to take
a rest. But as if he had heard nothing, he continued
his discourse without intermission, like a bee that
gathers honey from roses, going from flower to flower;

In 1887, Shortly after His Departure

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

159

so he went on without taking a moment's rest, and that
lasted until eleven o'clock at night.

residing in Flanders had an attack of influenza, and
besought her sister to go to Termonde and solicit Father
Paul's prayers in her behalf, as the patient had been
acquainted with him for some time. Consulting the
time table her sister ascertained that it was impossible
to go to Termonde and return the same day, and there-
fore decided to postpone the journey. The illness,
however, assumed so dangerous an aspect, that the pa-
tient bade her sister summon at once, the curate of the
parish. Her sister set out with all possible speed, but
when she had gone half way she distinctly heard the
voice of Father Paul saying, "Pray, don't be in such a
hurry; be calm."

In her amazement, she stood still, for she positively
saw no one. But there was no mistake about it; it was
undoubtedly the voice of Father Paul, and she cried
aloud, "Father Paul, is it you?" The voice answered,
"Yes, it is I; go back : your sister will be cured." She
returned immediately to relate this extraordinary occur-
rence, and soon after, the patient was restored to health.

A Working Woman of Thielt relates :

"Since his residence in Termonde, I have seen Father
Paul twice praying in our church in Thielt, and a few
moments afterwards he disappeared suddenly. I wrote

In 1891, a Young Lady

i6o

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

to the Rev. Father and asked if I had really seen him
in the church, and he answered, 'Yes.'

' 'Since the death of Father Paul, I have seen him
three times at prayer in our church. From afar I greeted
him, nodding my head, and he responded in the same
manner. Some moments afterwards I saw him leave
the church and go away. I followed him; but the
more I advanced, the more the distance that separated
me from him increased, until at last he disappeared
from my view.

"Receiving a letter one day from Father Paul in
which he replied to several questions, I read also the
following lines : 'There is a poor peddler in your street
whose children are without bread; they are awaiting
their father's return in order to procure the necessary
food. This peddler sells needle-cases, buy one from
him.' It was a puzzle to me why Father Paul had writ-
ten these words, but soon a peddler came along and
offered me his needle-cases at ten centimes each. Nat-
urally I did not hesitate to buy one.

with whom I am acquainted, had in his stable a beau-
tiful horse on the point of dying. Being there at the
time, I took the medal which I had received from Father
Paul and put it around the neck of the horse which
immediately became well. I reported this wonderful
occurrence to the Rev. Father, and begged him for
another medal, but he sent me this sharp reprimand :
'What I have blessed for your personal use, you dare
not apply to beasts.,,,

A Farmer

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

161

A Sister

from the convent of Belcele, relates the following facts :
For two years I suffered much from a cancer in
my foot. In 1878 I wrote to Father Paul about it, and
he told me to make a novena to St. Benedict and to use
the medal which he sent me. He moreover told me if
the affliction continued, to make another novena. On
the fifth day of the second novena my foot was cured.

"in 1886 while working in the country our horse
struck his foot forcibly against the plowshare so that
the bone was fractured, and the foot hanging down. I
wrote at once to Father Paul, and he replied, 'Make a
novena to St. Benedict and wash the leg of the animal
with water blessed by the medals.'

4 'After three weeks, to the great surprise of the
veterinarian, the foot was healed, nor was the horse
sick in the meantime.

The Nephew

of the Mother Superior of another convent of our Order,
at the age of twenty, had been suffering two months
from rheumatism in the arm. To seek relief, he went
to Father Paul with a companion.

" 'May I speak to you in presence of your com-
panion V Father Paul asked. 'Oh ! yes,' the young
fellow replied, 'he is a friend of mine and may listen
to everything.'

" 'Well, then, it is with this arm that you one day
struck your father, and this is the cause of your suffer-
ings. Are you sorry for it?' 'Yes, Rev. Father.'

" 'Well, go to confession at once and then come
back.' After confession Father Paul touched his arm
and the rheumatism disappeared.

* II

Digitized by

162

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

Our Cows

having been attacked by a contagious disease, I wrote
to Father Paul saying that if the cattle were cured, we
would place a statue of St. Benedict in our chapel. The
Rev. Father replied that we had no right to impose
conditions on St. Benedict, and added,
" 'First put up the statue.'

"As soon as the statue was placed in the chapel
the disease disappeared from the stable.

to our convent at Antwerp for the first time in the year
1894, and asked permission to be shown through it.
On entering the convent he met two sisters, and turn-
ing to the sister who had admitted him, he remarked,
'These two religious are more advanced than you. . .
Then accosting a group of nuns, he asked, 'is there no
one here who knows me?' 'We have not the honor/
the nuns replied. As Father Paul was about to leave, a
sister asked him who it was to whom she had the honor
of speaking. 'Ik ben de liefde van God/ 'i am the
love of God/ the Rev. Father replied. Hearing these
words, the two sisters about whom Father Paul had
made the remark to the sister who had introduced him,
and to whom he had a long time before revealed their
vocation, cried with joy, 'it is Father Paul, beg of him
to remain longer.'

"Soon all the nuns, filled with delight, flocked
around the Rev. Father; they showed him the entire
convent, not forgetting the infirmary, where there were
four patients. The first suffered from a large abscess
under the arm and complained much of the pain. The

Father Paul Came

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

163

Rev. Father said to her, 'Ah, that is a mere trifle.' *Oh,
no/ replied the sister, 'it pains me intensely.' Father
Paul placed his hand over the abscess and instantly her
suffering ceased.

"The second patient was the Rev. Mother, who
had a sore throat and could not speak. 'A trifle/ Father
Paul exclaimed with a certain amusing gesture habitual
with him; then he touched the swollen neck, and the
patient's voice became clear and strong again.

"The third sister suffered from her foot and had
been unable to walk for three weeks. *A trifle !' re-
peated Father Paul. He touched the lame foot and
said to the sister, 'Walk now, you will see that it was
nothing at all.' Whereupon the sister, cured of her
complaint, began to walk with great strides, smiling all
the while with evident delight.

"The fourth sister had a felon on her finger. Again
the same remark from Father Paul, who touched the
sister's finger and the whitlow disappeared. At last
the good Father departed, bearing away with him the
blessing of the community.

who was entirely paralyzed, and who, through nervous
trpuble, had lost the use of speech, was brought by our
sisters to Termonde, on the feast of St. Joseph, March
19, 1878. The poor child had been carried to the sta-
tion, but when they arrived at Termonde, they were at
a loss to know how they could reach the monastery as
there was no public conveyance, and Father Paul had
# not been notified of their coming. Much to their sur-

A Little Orphan Girl

164 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

prise, on their arrival at the station of Termonde, a
driver approached, raised his hat, and said, 'My car-
riage is waiting to take you to the monastery, and I shali
return for you in the afternoon.' As soon as Father
Paul saw the child, he declared she would be cured;
and told the sisters to make two novenas, and if neces-
sary, commence a third one. One morning, at the be-
ginning of the third novena, the sick child began to
walk and speak. Her cure was permanent.

In the Year 1875,

the Rev. Mother of a convent in Antwerp was suffering
from a disease which the physician pronounced incur-
able. The sisters accordingly had recourse to Father
Paul, who replied as follows : 'The Mother Superior
will be cured after two novenas, and during the third,
she will be restored to perfect health; do not, therefore,
call the physician again.' His prediction was fulfilled.

Here Is Another Prodigy,

certified by a parish priest in Antwerp who related the
story to us, as follows : —

" 'A lady of my parish was suffering from a dread-
ful disease which the physicians declared incurable.
One day as death seemed imminent, I proposed that
Father Paul be consulted. The lady's husband who
was a pronounced "liberal" and had no religion, scoffed
at my proposal, while his unfortunate wife begged him
to follow my advice. Finally to please his wife, he
gave his consent, and declared that if this cure were

Digitized by

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

I65

obtained, he would be converted. Father Paul replied
to the messenger as follows : 'Tell them to make a
novena. Here is a medal of St. Benedict to be applied
according to my instructions. The lady will be cured.
The physicians must no more meddle with the case.'
Before the termination of the novena, the lady was re-
stored to health, her husband himself came to thank
Father Paul and was converted, to the great joy of his
wife and family.'

"I am very sorry that I never had the happiness of
seeing the Rev. Father Paul, but I have preserved a
great number of long letters from him, treating of the
love of God, and these letters are admirable. One day
he wrote to me, 'Until now you have not received more
than a little ray of the love of God, but I am going to
inscribe you in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.' "

paid a visit to a friend in Antwerp, who, on the same
day, was entertaining one of her friends. The unex-
pected visit of Father Paul suggested the idea of invit-
ing him to make an excursion to Stabroeck to visit
Catharine Vingerhoets, a young ecstatic girl, well known
to the people of Antwerp. Father Paul accepted the
invitation on condition that it should be possible for
him to return home the same evening. Stabroeck is
about ten miles from Antwerp, and a railway connects
the two places. The train, left Antwerp in good con-
dition, but when they got about half-way, it stopped,
because the engine was disabled. A dispatch was sent

In 1892, Father Paul

i66

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

to Antwerp for another engine, and in the meantime
the passengers were obliged to take their misfortune as
philosophically as possible. A lunch was improvised
under the most picturesque circumstances with the help
of some little provisions that had been brought along,
and thus a considerable time had passed, still no engine
came. -After the lunch Father Paul said to his com-
panions, "Let us see if the accident which befell the
locomotive is as bad as they say . . . . "

They went accordingly and found two mechanics
and some passengers standing near the engine. One of
the passengers had a cane in his hand. Father Paul
asked him for it, whereupon he thrust the end of the
cane into one of the pipes of the engine and said with
all seriousness to the engineer and tender :

'Why this pipe seems to me choked up ! Go and
clean it out !"

But they only smiled with an air of pity at this poor
old monk, who pretended to know more about their
business than they themselves; nevertheless, Father
Paul continued to explore the pipe from which, for a
good reason, he could extract nothing. The passengers
during the time amused themselves at the expense of
the poor monk, who seriously undertook to repair the
engine with the help of an ordinary walking-stick. At
last Father Paul said to the engineer :

' 'Try now, I think the machine will work all right.
It is easy to imagine the derision with which this re-
mark was received. But Father Paul, changing his
tone, repeated his request and said in a determined
manner, "Start up the engine; it will go all right now,
for it is I who tell you." The engineer, in spite of him-

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

167

self, obeyed at once, and the train began to move !

The arrival of Father Paul at the house of Catharine
Vingerhoets was a real treat for the ecstatic girl. It
was the only time that the Rev. Father visited her.
One of his companions opened a bottle of wine which
she had brought along. Father Paul refused to touch
it unless Catharine also took some of it; but her sister
Mary replied that Catharine never took wine, and that
she would get sick if she took any.

But Father Paul said, "No, no ! this will do her no
harm, on the contrary, it will do her good; for it is my
wish that she drink with me." So they filled a glass for
Catharine, and Father Paul blessed it. She drank it
and felt very well.

had been for some time, deaf in one ear and hardly
able to hear with the other. Accompanied by her mother
and a lady friend, she set out for Termonde to visit
Father Paul. During the journey the hearing of the
ear which had been the least affected was lost altogether.
Admitted to the presence of the Rev. Father, the girl's
friend said to him, "Rev. Father, please cure this
young girl of her deafness; it is such an affliction to be
deaf !" Thereupon Father Paul placed his hands on
the ears of the deaf girl, and at the very instant she
recovered her hearing so completely that she could
understand words spoken in a low tone, at a distance
of several paces. The deafness never returned.

Father Paul also said to this young lady, "You will
obtain some of the love of Jesus." After that time she

The Daughter of a Physician

1 68

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

has had several experiences in the church, a few of
which she describes as follows : —

' 'August 2, 1894, which was a day of adoration, I
had the happiness of seeing, for the first time, in the
sacred host in the monstrance, our Lord attached to
the cross.

"Holy Thursday, 1896, while making my adoration,
I beheld a large host on the veil of the ciborium; shortly
afterwards this host was changed into a most amiable
face.

"The feast of the Sacred Heart, 1896, I saw on
the veil of the ciborium our Lord stretching out His
arms; one of His arms was raised higher than the other,
and His hands were open. His heart was red, and His
face had a very amiable expression.

"At another time I saw the person of our Divine
Lord slowly disappearing behind a veil.

"Christmas, 1896, during the elevation of the
Mass, I saw our Savior on the cross in the host.

"Several times I have seen the sacred host appear
on the veil which covers the ciborium.

"Only once I saw great brightness in the taberna-

submitted, in writing, the following case to the Rev.
Father Paul: "The Blessed Virgin appeared to me,
carrying the Divine Child in her arms. The Blessed
Mother was resplendent with beauty; a crown adorned
her head, her eyes were brown and full of heavenly
sweetness. She presented the Divine Infant repeatedly
to me, spoke for about twelve minutes, and then blessed

cle."

An Ecstatic

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

169

me." This she wrote to Father Paul in order to ascer-
tain if he considered the vision divine. The Rev.
Father answered that the ecstatic might consider the
vision a truly divine one, and added, "But I am grieved
that you did not ask this good Mother to give her bless-
ing also to me."

from a convent in Bruges went to Steenbrugge to ask
the prayers of Father Paul for the recovery of the Rev.
Mother Superior. When the interview was over, Father
Paul joined his hands and raising his eyes towards heaven
said to one of the sisters, "Five years ago you would
have left the convent if St. Teresa had not held you
back; and for the last three days you have been staying
away from Holy Communion through fear."
"But Rev. Father, how do you know that?" the sister
cried out in astonishment, "nobody knows it, not even
those in the convent !"

"Tell your superioress that you must now commu-
nicate nine days in succession."

whom he had cured, Father Paul said, in 1892, "in
making the Stations of the Cross, meditate especially
on the sixth station where Christ imprinted His adorable
face on the veil of St. Veronica. Later on you will see
our Lord in person in the Most Blessed Sacrament."
She followed the Rev. Father's recommendation and
with tears in her eyes she relates what she saw : —

In 1880, Three Sisters

To a Working Woman,

170

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

"My emotion almost prevents me telling it, so
terrible it was ! I beheld in the host the living head
of Christ, but so covered with blood and so horribly
disfigured that I was benumbed with fear. This vision
has been frequently repeated, and Father Paul wrote
several letters to me on this subject, and these I com-
municated to my confessor, a Recollet Father.

"Some time afterwards Father Paul said to me,
'God demands and expects of you especially three
things : —

1. Special prayers for sinners and blasphemers.

2. Prayers for the souls in purgatory.

3. Prayers for the soul of your mother, who
suffers cruelly in purgatory on your account, because
she was opposed to your religious vocation. This is
the reason why God gives you the grace to see in the
Blessed Sacrament the person of our Divine Lord, His
head all covered with blood and crowned with thorns.
In this there is a great mystery for you, and a great
thing ("eene groote zaak") for myself. Every day
make a short meditation on the passion of Jesus. Love
humility; Jesus loves souls that are humble, and sends
them many trials.

" 'My child, do not have the least doubt as to what
you see in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist;
for I myself have asked God that you might see Him.
If you begin to doubt the reality of what you see, re-
garding it as a mere illusion; or if you attribute this
vision to the artifices of the devil, you will never enjoy
it again. It is an extraordinary grace which God grants
you; if you do not believe in it any longer, this grace
will be withdrawn from you.

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

171

" 'Go on as I have told you; pray to God that it
may not be to you a source of vanity; then you will
perceive that this grace will increase from day to day.'"

In a Convent

the sisters were a prey to violent obsession. At night
they were boxed , on the ears by an invisible hand and
thrown out of their beds. This state of affairs having
lasted for a long time in spite of all the means that
were applied in order to stop the trouble, Father Paul
was at last asked for his advice.

The Rev. Father replied that a very easy means of
getting rid of the enemy is to humble one's self pro-
foundly, and to realize that by ourselves we are nothing
and can do nothing. "The devil," he added, "cannot
bear humility, it is his great enemy; the very moment
he notices it, even partly, he becomes impotent and
flees."

The sisters followed the advice of Father Paul and
soon everything became quiet in the convent.

A Young Lady from Herenthals Writes:
"i felt a soreness in my right side which became
very painful as soon as I took the least food. In 1889
my aunt advised me to have recourse to Father Paul,
and I did so. Having questioned me, the Father placed
his hand for a moment over my ailing side and told me
to make a novena, adding that he would also make one.
Then he gave me a medal of St. Benedict with the pre-

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LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

scription to dip it into my drinks during the days of
the novena, also to dip it into the water with which I
washed. Having followed these prescriptions of Father
Paul, I was fully restored to health.

"Some time afterwards we received a visit from the
Rev. Father, and he assured me that I was completely
cured. I did not feel the least pain any more. I never
consulted the doctor and do not know the nature of the
evil from which I suffered so much. I am now sorry
that I did not ask Father Paul what the trouble was.

' 'At the time of the first visit of Father Paul in our
house, I desired very much to consult him on a certain
point; but knowing him only slightly, my timidity
prevented me doing so. To my great astonishment the
Rev. Father gave me at once an affirmative answer.
Afterwards he asked me if I had a rosary. I said, 'Yes;'
but my rosary was broken into several pieces, each of
which I carried in a different pocket.

"'Show me that rosary/ the Rev. Father said.
Having shown him one piece of it after another, Father
Paul said with a smile that I was in need of a whole
rosary.

"in 1889, Father Paul invited my first cousin to
come to the chapel of the Perpetual Adoration in
Antwerp, and told her that she would see our Lord in
person in the exposed Blessed Sacrament. The Father
furthermore told her : —

"'You must not go there through vain curiosity,
but with great faith. One day I told a certain woman
to go there also and see, but she saw nothing because
she went there through curiosity. If our Lord tells
you to demand this or that, you must demand it of

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

x73

Him; but if He does not tell you so, you may ask Him
anyway.' When I went to the chapel, I saw our Lord
clothed in white as far as the waist, the rest being black.
'When you see Him, you must not break out into
exclamations, as another woman did in the chapel; but
let it all pass, as if unnoticed. . . '

"My cousin said that she saw our Lord in the
sacred host, His eyes were cast down, and His hands
joined.

"Some one complained to Father Paul saying, 'My
brother who did not lead a good life, and for whose
conversion I have prayed so much, fell into the water
and was drowned.' The Rev. Father replied, 'The space
between the bridge and the water is great; your brother
had time to make a good act of contrition.' "

While Giving o Retreat
in a convent, Father Paul gave a conference on con-
fession. During this discourse, one of the sisters pre-
sent expressed her discontent interiorly, muttering to
herself, "Confession again!" At the very moment,
Father Paul stopped and spoke to the sister these words :
"Yes, yes, Sister Justine, it's about confession once
more !" And he then went on with his sermon.

To o Person from Thielt
Father Paul told the following story : —

"l said to a man who often came to see me, 'The
Blessed Sacrament is exposed in the church, go there

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LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

and you shall see something astonishing.' This man,
full of fear, obeyed at once and saw our Lord in person
in the monstrance, in consequence of which he was filled
with great joy. Being unable to conceal his secret, he
soon communicated his mysterious experience to several
persons. Some believed, others ridiculed him.

The Wife of on Innkeeper in Oostacker,
who was acquainted with Father Paul, reports the fol-
lowing : —

"On the 4th of February 1896, * at eleven o'clock
in the morning, I suddenly noticed the presence of
Father Paul in my inn, without having seen him enter.
He seemed to be in excellent health, yet I reproached
him for coming on foot, because, as a rule, I provided
a carriage for him, free of charge, whenever he came to
Oostacker.

" *Oh ! I feel very well.' the Father remarked gaily
as he rubbed his hands. I offered him a glass of wine
which he declined, saying, *No, I shall not take any-
thing, for I am in a hurry and have to make other visits,
at the Beguinage and at a notary's. You will never see
me again; carefully note the day and hour of my visit.
I came because you still require this.'

"So saying Father Paul took out from beneath his
mantle a scapular of rough wool, about seven inches by
five, to which a medal was attached, and this he gave
me in exchange for my old one which he threw into the

*At this date Father Paul had been confined to his room for a
long time by dropsy of which he died on the 24th of the same
month.

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

175

fire. Then he gave me a handful of medals to distrib-
ute among those who would make good use of them.
Having given me further advice, he strictly forbade me
to assist at his funeral because, he said, I would not be
able to overcome my emotion. After this short con-
versation of only ten minutes, he said, 'Go now to the
kitchen and put your potatoes on the fire.'

4 'The potatoes were, as a matter of fact, peeled and
ready for boiling. I went to the kitchen and came back
to the room after a few minutes, but to my great aston-
ishment, Father Paul had dissappeared.

"Was this a case of bilocation ? It would seem
impossible to have the slightest doubt about it, as may
be seen by a remarkable coincidence. On the 4th of
F ebruary, the day of his mysterious visit, Father Paul
sent us his last letter. The envelope is marked Feb. 4,
7 P. M- The writing indicates a very trembling hand,
which had not been the case before, and shows that the
Rev. Father had lost all vigor.

"Towards the end of December 1896, we went to
a notary in Ghent, who was a friend of Father Paul, and
asked him if the Rev. Father had paid him a visit on
the 4th of February, but the notary was unable to
remember.

"Then we inquired at the Beguinage in Ghent for
the Beguine whom Father Paul used to visit. At first,
this religious could not recall the date or the time of the
Rev. Father's last visit; but later she recalled a circum-
stance which revived her memory. She had bought,
about that time, a piece of cloth which she afterwards
sent to the abbey of Termonde, and the date of the .pay-
ment of that invoice furnished her with a proof that

176

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

Father Paul's last visit must have taken place about the
time of which we are speaking. But she could not re-
call the exact date. So much is sure that Father Paul
visited this Beguine and conversed with her for about
half an hour. She offered him a glass of wine, but he
did not accept it and said to her, 'l shall not return
here any more.' 'And why shall you return no more ?'
asked the religious, but received no answer to this
question. Then she asked, 'Are you going to visit
other persons at the Beguinage?' to which he replied,
'No, I am going to depart at once.' And with these
words he walked off in a hurry.

' 'December 28, 1896, we wrote to Dr. Planquaert, a
homeopath, in Brussels, for details concerning the last
sickness of the Rev. Father Paul, his patient.

"He replied as follows : 'Sir, I saw the Rev. Father
Paul for the first time June 30, 1895. He was then in
a state of health which left much to be desired, as he
could walk only with the greatest difficulty, so great
was his weakness from a feeling of oppression. His
condition, however, improved so much as to permit
the Rev. Father to enjoy a few holidays outside his
monastery.

" 'During the last weeks of 1895 his condition
took a noticeable turn for the worse, and when I went
to Termonde January 31, 1896, I found Father Paul in
such a state of health as absolutely to preclude the pos-
sibility of his leaving the convent on that day, or on
the 4th of February following.

" 'February 13th I found the patient considerably
weaker than on my previous visit, that is January 31st,
and this weakness constantly increased until the day of

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

177

his death, which took place February 24, 1896.

' ' 'Such are the details as I find them in my note-
book and of which my memory, which is good for
dates, has kept until now a faithful remembrance.'"

Dr. Cyr. Planquaert.

The Innkeeper's Wile Relates Also:
"in 1888 Father Paul advised me to join the
Flemish pilgrimage to Rome, and gave me a letter to
be handed to the Holy Father. I told him that it would
be quite difficult for me to discharge this commission.
'How am I to present myself to the Pope, and give him
a letter ? I would never dare do such a thing !' 'Go
along anyhow !' he replied, 'and don't worry about
anything, that will be done very easily; the circumstan-
ces will be favorable, for I am intimate with the Pope.'

"Among other counsels Father Paul cautioned me
not to kiss the Pope's ring. 'His- Holiness does not
like it,' he said. He also warned me not to visit the
catacombs; he assured me that my emotion would hin-
der me from doing so. Finally he told me to get differ-
ent objects blessed by the Holy Father, death-bed
crosses, medals, and little statues. 'They will be useful
to you,' he said, 'as well as to your family.' Being still
single (for I was married only in 1892), I replied that I
had no family. 'You will have one later on,' he said.

"Accordingly I accompanied the pilgrims to Rome.
Being admitted into the presence of the Holy Father
(we were two thousand), I found myself beside a
Flemish prelate, who stood near the pontifical throne
and to whom I presented the letter of Father Paul; the
prelate at once delivered it to the Pope.

* 12

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LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

"Five days afterwards a messenger from the Vati-
can came to the hotel and brought me the answer of
His Holiness. On my return, Father Paul came to me
at Oostacker for this answer, just as he had previously
told me he would when charging me with the commis-
sion.

"in Rome I did not pay any attention to Father
Paul's advice with regard to visiting the catacombs. I
entered along with the other pilgrims; but all at once
an indescribable emotion came over me; I was on the
point of fainting and was obliged to retire."

being anxious to consult him on a weighty matter, pro-
ceeded towards noon to the monastery of Steenbrugge.
The brother in charge of the door told him that Father
Paul had left by the first train and would not return till
late. But at that very moment the Rev. Father showed
himself a few steps away in the garden, to the unuttera-
ble amazement of the brother who could not understand
the mystery. Was it another case of bilocation ?

at Vieux Dieu, five years ago, suffered from influenza
but had recovered; of late, however, she had a relapse,
and owing to other complications, there was little hope
of recovery. The physicians met for consultation and
considered an operation necessary. Her parents, how-
ever, having heard of Father Paul, decided to have re-

A Friend of Father Paul

The Daughter of a Blacksmith

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

179

course to him and went to the monastery of Termonde.
Father Paul, who had never seen these people before,
said to them, "Yesterday I was in Antwerp and expected
you there. Poor artisans, you go to such an expense
to consult physicians ! Here is a medal, have your
daughter wear it, also dip it into her drinks during a
novena, which you will make together in honor of St.
Benedict. Your daughter will be cured." The girl
was cured on Christmas day, during the novena.

was on the point of delivery, but it was a difficult case,
and the physician declared her delivery impossible
without an operation. The husband, full of anxiety
went to find Father Paul. "The operation is not nec-
essary, " the Rev. Father said, "return home, the child-
ren will come of their own accord."

Feeling reassured, the blacksmith went home, re-
peating to himself the words of Father Paul, without
being able to explain them, for the Father did not say,
"The child will come of itself," but "The children will
come of their own accord." When he arrived at his
house, he found newly-born twins; the mother had
been delivered in the absence of the physician.

As a Young Lady

was about to take leave of Father Paul in order to set
out for the station at Steenbrugge, she noticed that the
hour for the departure of the train had already arrived,

The Wife of a Blacksmith in Antwerp

i8o

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

at which discovery she manifested great uneasiness.

"Be calm," said Father Paul, "the train will be
good enough and wait a little for you. Go on and
finish what you were telling me/' Having done so, the
Rev. Father bade her go to the station without hurry-
ing; arrived there she found that the train was twenty
minutes late, having been delayed on the way.

A Benedictine Father from Downside Abbey,
England, relates as follows : "One day I found myself
with several other travelers in the waiting room of the
station in Bruges; we were all seated and silent. Anoth-
er traveler, who attracted the attention of all, arrived.
He was a religious who held in his hand his closed bre-
viary. His originally black habit had already turned
greenish while his hat was old and his shoes worn out.
As he walked slowly from one end of the room to the
other, a priest whispered into my ears, 'Don't you know
that Father ? It is Father Paul of Steenbrugge.' I was
happy to see the good Father of whom I had already
heard so much. Then a poor old woman entered,
walked up to him and said, 'Father, I would like so
much to speak to you ! When may I find you at the
monastery V

" 'Well, tell me now !' he replied. 'No, it would
take too long and the train will soon arrive.' 'Oh ! the
train will be twenty minutes late, just take your time
and tell me your trouble.'

"The telegraph operator having overheard these
last words, walked off laughing aloud. Nevertheless

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

181

the conversation between the religious and the old
woman began and lasted a long while. Finally, the
porter announced the arrival of the train. . .it was ex-
actly twenty minutes late !"

A Person from Bruges

meeting Father Paul on the evening of the elections of
1881, and having asked his prayers to obtain a good
result, the Rev. Father replied with a smile, "We shall
pray that the Catholics win a decisive victory."

The next day there was a complete victory; all the
Catholic candidates won by a majority of more than
130 votes. Later on, elections for the legislature were
to be held and everybody expected that the Catholics
would carry off the victory; but Father Paul foretold
that the liberals would be victorious.

"The country," he said, "must still be severely
punished; it is the Catholics who vote for the candidates
of the Masonic lodges who are the cause of the misfor-
tunes that weigh heavily upon the country. The liberals
are the devil's sorcerers; they will cut a ridiculous figure
when they arrive one day in the other world."

A Young Lady of Thielt

begged Father Paul to cure her sister who had become
demented. The Rev. Father gave her a medal, but
said that as soon as it would be handed to the crazy
girl she would instantly throw it away. "Try it, if you
wish," he said, "it will be necessary to sew the medal

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LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

on to her dress without her knowledge; and many
novenas will have to be made in order to obtain her
cure."

The young lady paid a visit to her sister the follow-
ing morning. "Look here," she said, "what a beautiful
medal has been given me for you !" "Oh, yes !" said
the crazy girl with joy, "give it to- me !" But hardly
had she taken it into her hand when she threw it far
away with great violence. She was cured, however, at
the end of two years.

went to Steenbrugge with the intention of making a
general confession to Father Paul; but the Rev. Father
told her it was not necessary, and he himself described
the whole life of the sister. She admitted that Father
Paul showed himself better acquainted with all the de-
tails of her life than she herself.

who lived in Ghent was made the possessor of a poly-
chrome group representing Christ dead on the knees of
His Blessed Mother, a so-called Pieta. Father Paul
blessed the group and immediately, as he himself related,
tears flowed abundantly from the eyes of the Blessed
Virgin. This prodigy has been repeated very often,
and in the presence of several witnesses.

On Thursday Sept. 20, 1894 for the space of two
hours we were witness of this marvellous flow of tears
in the presence of the Rev. Father Paul, who then gath-

A Franciscan Sister

In 1893, a Friend of Father Paul,

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Polychrome Group, blessed by Father Paul, in 1893,
whereupon tears flowed from the eyes of the Blessed Virgin

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SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

183

ered for us two or three of these tears in a little glass
tube and told us afterwards to fill it up with water, in
order to prevent the tears from drying.

The author of this book is now the happy possessor
of this Pieta the height of which is only thirty-three
centimeters (about 13 inches).

very sick and without any hope of recovery, had an ex-
cessive fear of death. The most encouraging words
of the other sisters had no effect on her. As Father
Paul came to visit the Rev. Mother Superior, she intro-
duced him to the sick sister. A few words from the
Rev. Father soon changed the great fear of the poor
sister into a most intense desire to die as soon as pos-
sible; without a stop she repeated (it was the eighteenth
of March), "What a pity that I cannot die now, so that
I might be in heaven tomorrow, on the feast of St.
Joseph !" The sister died full of joy the day after, the
eve of the feast of St. Benedict.

of a convent in Bruges was at the last extremity, so that
her death was expected every moment. The sisters
who had the greatest veneration for their superioress
were disconsolate at the thought of soon being deprived
of her prudent direction. Each of two physicians
whom they consulted, recommended a different remedy.
In this perplexity, the sisters resolved to send to Father

A Young Sister,

The Rev. Mother. Superior

184 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

Paul for advice. Before the messenger however had
time to tell him the names of the two physicians and
each one's prescriptions, the Rev. Father said, "Tell
the sisters to follow the prescriptions of the second
physician they consulted. I shall pray much for the
Rev. Mother, and everything will go well."

From that time there was a marked improvement
in the health of the venerable patient, and after eight
days her recovery was complete.

A Married Couple from Antwerp

were cast into deepest sorrow on account of the loss of
their only child; they gave themselves up to continual
grief. Following the advice of a friend, they had re-
course to Father Paul. "As long as you give yourselves
up, without restraint, to such great sadness, no other
child will be born to you; but if you resign yourselves
to the will of God, another child will be given you."

The parents followed this wise counsel and a second
son brought back joy to their disconsolate home.

A Lady Had the Misfortune

of losing her husband, and the physician attributed his
death to cancer of the stomach. The disconsolate wid-
ow went to Termonde to communicate her grief to the
Rev. Father Paul. This is what he told her: "Your
husband did not have cancer, but he swallowed a little
piece of glass, and since then he felt those internal
pains; for that piece of glass cut into his intestines."

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SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

185

The lady then remembered that eight years before her
husband having taken a small glass of liquor cried out,
"i think I have swallowed a little piece of glass."

Father Paul continued, ' ' Your husband suffered
his purgatory here, he went straight to heaven and is
praying for you. You fear for the future of your chil-
dren and yourself; have no anxiety; your children will
be your consolation. One of your sons will become a
priest, and one of 3«)ur daughters a nun; but do not urge
them on to their vocation, leave the good God do the
work. Your business will prosper; moreover, an excel-
lent means to make things flourish is to set aside a cer-
tain portion of the income or the profits, say two per
cent, for the relief of the souls in purgatory; you may
spend this money for Masses or good works for the suf-
fering souls who can obtain everything for their bene-
factors." The lady followed the good advice and had
reason to congratulate herself on the happy results.

Father Paul told the same lady that she would see
Our Lord in person in the Most Holy Sacrament, and
she asserts that she has often seen Him.

a great benefactor of the monastery of Steenbrugge, at
the time Father Paul was prior, suffered from sciatica;
the pain was so intense that he could no longer keep
himself in an upright position, and was hardly able to
take a few steps with the help of a cane. He asked his
friend, Father Paul, for prayers to obtain relief, but the
latter sent him this answer : —

<*£sr

A Gentleman Living in Ghent,

i86

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

"No, no, I shall not pray for that; it is a trial that
Divine Providence has sent him; let him bear it patient-
ly. This disease will leave no bad effect, later on he
will be able to walk as well as before. "

A Little Boy from Thielt,

eight years old and deaf in one. ear, had undergone an
operation in Courtrai, but without any results. His
mother thereupon met Father Paul in Termonde, and
he advised her to dip a medal of St. Benedict into
water and pour a few drops of it into the ear of the
child. As soon as she came home, the mother did as
she had been told, and when the first drop of water was
poured into the ear, the infirmity disappeared.

An Amateur at Works of Ancient Art,
a friend of Father Paul, often consulted him with regard
to pictures which he wished to acquire. The Rev.
Father always proved himself well-informed, although
anything but an expert in such matters. Besides the
art collector lived in another town and did not have
the opportunity of submitting work of that kind to the
Rev. Father's inspection; he therefore, asked his advice
by letter, and Father Paul replied in a few words, but
clearly enough to remove all doubt. For example, if
the painting was of doubtful value, he would reply,
"Don't burn your fingers," or "The seller is a rogue,
don't trust him," or "Such a price is exorbitant;" in

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SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

I87

the case of an authentic work of art he would reply, "i
think it is genuine."

Once the amateur discovered a beautiful painting,
though covered with the rust of time, offered for a very
small sum. Having consulted Father Paul he said, "it
is a fine picture; you can buy it at that price, provided
the seller is not in needy circumstances." It was a good
advice and doubly valuable, because accompanied by
a very appropriate lesson in charity.

On another occasion the amateur, trusting to him-
self, had a worthless production imposed on him.
Quite proud of his supposed bargain he wrote about it
to Father Paul. The latter replied, "The seller has
probably a good laugh at your expense." After a close
inspection it was detected, as a matter of fact, that the
painting was of no value at all.

A Woman in Antwerp
who sold liberal papers, being threatened with total
blindness, went to Termonde to ask Father Paul to cure
her. He replied, "You cannot be cured, because you
sell bad papers."

The Aunt of a Benedictine Brother
was afflicted with gangrene in one of her legs to such a
degree that the physicians had resolved to amputate the
limb. But when Father Paul was consulted in the mat-
ter, he opposed the amputation and assured a cure, say-
ing, "I shall make a no vena of Masses, and you make

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LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

a novena of prayers and wash the limb several times a
day with water blessed with the medal. " On the last day
of the novena the gangrenous leg was cured.

received orders from his superiors to change his resi-
dence at which he was very much grieved. A friend
promised that he would ask the prayers of the Rev. Fa-
ther Paul, in order that the command might be revoked.
"No, no !" replied Father Paul, "i shall not pray for
such a thing. Tell the Friar that he should submit with
good grace to the will of God." At his new residence
the Carmelite was happier than ever before.

"A young girl in my service was tortured with great
fears on account of a slight attack of chicken-pox.
Having heard of the wonderful cures wrought by Father
Paul, she begged me to go and recommend her to the
Rev. Father. When I came to Steenbrugge — it was
winter, some Sundays after Christmas — I saw Father
Paul alone in the church and spoke to him of the sick
girl. He gave me a medal for her and said, 'Oh ! there
will be no difficulty, this girl will be cured and all fear
will leave her.... It is not so very long since your
mother died, is it?' 'No, Rev. Father!' I replied as-
tonished. 'She is in purgatory and you must still pray
a great deal for her. ... Now, there is only your old
father with you; take good care of him/ Father Paul

A Discalced Carmelite Friar

A Young Lady from Bruges Declares:

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

189

told me many other things, as if he were perfectly ac-
quainted with everything that happened at my home.
I was very much astonished.

"The brother of the girl mentioned before, hap-
pened to break his leg. I also spoke of this to Father
Paul, but to my repeated questions he only shrugged his
shoulders. At last he said, 'There is yet another thing
that is not right with this young man. You may give
him a medal, but he won't be cured.' This brother was
addicted to drink, and died a year after. The young
girl was promptly cured, nor did the disease leave the
slightest mark.

"Having told the story of my interview with Father
Paul to one of my lady friends, she asked me to take
her son to Steenbrugge, a child of three years, who had
the falling sickness. Father Paul looked at the child
and said, 'I have power to arrest the affliction for nine
days, but no longer for the present.' Then he gave him
his blessing. The poor child was free from attack the
next nine days, but after that it came back within a
short time. Several times Father Paul stopped the at-
tacks, but each time only for nine days. The Rev.
Father told me one day that the child could not be
cured completely unless the parents themselves did pen-
ance; but I had not the courage to tell them this."

Whenever a Certain Friend
of Father Paul desired information regarding any sub-
ject, he thought the best thing to do was to go to Father
Paul. His reply came directly and with as much ex-

190

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

actness, as if the Rev. Father could read the heart of
every one as an open book. "Truly," said a certain
person who often had recourse to him, "i believe this
Father possesses a mysterious mirror in which he sees
everything. If there were a number of Father Pauls in
the world, many people would be preserved from de-
ception."

One Day a House in Oostcamp
without any apparent cause was invaded by vermin.
The inmates having asked the prayers of Father Paul,
the pest immediately disappeared. But at the same
time innumerable mice infested a neighbor's house, the
more that were caught, the more came; it was a literal
assault. The people living in this house also had re-
course to the prayers of the saintly Benedictine. Father
Paul asked them if among these mice they had not ob-
served one much larger than the others.

"Yes/' they said, ' 'we saw an enormous one with
whiskers; but we did not succeed in catching him."
"Very well, you will soon be delivered from this plague."
And from that time the house was free from mice.

A Pastor of Hennegau Says:
"For three years strange things had happened in
my rectory. Doors that were locked made a noise as
though they were being opened. Strange sounds were
heard from the furniture and the windows. Very often
during the night we were roused from sleep by a tumult
as though burglars had broken in.

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SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

I9I

"One day while at table with my aged mother and
sister, the latter noticed that a large crucifix, that was
adorned with a particle of the true cross, slowly slid
down upon a piece of furniture as though carried by
an unsteady hand,

" 'What does this mean?' she said. 'The crucifix
is moving and seems ready to fall.'

"And in fact, it did fall, and was damaged. But
what seemed „very strange was that the upper part of
the crucifix first touched the floor, although its massive
base was a great deal heavier.

"On the occasion of a confirmation trip, the Rt.
Rev. Bishop of Tournai paid us a visit. I begged his
Lordship to exorcise the evil spirits in our dwelling.
He complied with my request, but the annoying and
mysterious noise in the house continued as before.

"Later on a Dominican Father was our guest. He,
too, noticed the same strange occurrences, although
we had not mentioned a word to him about it. This
religious advised me to write to Father Paul. I imme-
diately did so. It was in 1892, and I am glad to this
day that I wrote to him. Father Paul sent his reply
from Termonde, saying, that such things frequently
occur, and encouraged us to have no further fear about
the matter. Twenty-four hours after we received the
letter we were no longer troubled.

"The above mentioned Dominican Father told me
that similar things were experienced in a house at
Tirlemont where he had lived. Father Paul, whose
advice was asked, said, that it was caused by poor souls
from purgatory who desired prayers. As a proof, a white
handkerchief was placed on some piece of furniture.

192

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

The next day the imprint of a burning hand and the
five fingers could be seen scorched upon the cloth."

had fallen seriously ill, and his sickness baffled all med-
ical science. One of his friends went to Father Paul
and begged him to help the priest. Father Paul, how-
ever, seemed not to heed the petition. After much and
earnest entreaty, the friend finally succeeded in obtain-
ing a little powder of the miraculous roses of St. Bene-
dict, on condition that he was not to give the powder
to the pr^st if the latter should entertain the least
doubts as to its efficacy.

The priest had often on previous occasions been
requested to recommend himself to Father Paul, but
he always intimated that he had no faith in these rem-
edies. But when his friend mentioned to him the con-
dition that Father Paul made, he recognized the sagacity
of the holy man. With firm confidence he made use of
the supernatural remedy and was soon restored to health.

"My sick uncle went to see Father Paul. — 'You
have a natural sickness,' said the Rev. Father, and
quickly pulling out his watch, added : 'Go to the depot
at once; but hurry, hurry! You will catch the train
yet. Step into the first coach, there you will hear tell
of a physician who will cure you.'

"And really, my uncle did hear tell in that coach of a

A Young Priest

A Young Lady of Mariaburg Writes:

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

193

physician . . . He immediately went to him, and the
physician said, 'You have heart disease, but in two
weeks you will have no more attacks, you will be cured.
And my uncle is now well.

"My mother was afflicted with a serious malady of
the liver. Father Paul pressed a medal of St. Benedict
against her side and said, 'Madam, say three times : St.
Benedict, heal me !' She did so, and felt at once that
she was cured. Father Paul also cured the brother of
a forester of consumption."

upon whom Father Paul used to call during his frequent
visits to Antwerp, was an invalid lady and her servant
Theresa. In 1887 the Rev. Father told Theresa that
henceforth she would be informed beforehand of his
approaching visits, adding that God delights to manifest
His goodness to simple people. At his next visit Father
Paul asked her, "Well have the little birds announced
my coming ?"

As a matter of fact, on the eve of Father Paul's
visits to the lady, beautiful little birds, varying in num-
ber from two to twelve at a time, began to make their
appearance in the garden, singing a joyful air which
was always the same. They would also perch on the
window-sill of the drawing room which looked out upon
the garden, and tap upon the window-panes. Although
the tune of the mysterious songsters never varied, they
had at each successive visit a different plumage. The
lady and her nurse, the sister who attended, her, also

Among the Numerous Friends

194

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

saw these charming little birds, but could not tell
where they came from any more than Theresa could.
Were they birds from the tropics ? But in that case
these delicate little creatures would hardly have ventured
into our climate in all seasons, for they came in winter,
when it was snowing and very cold, as well as in summer.
The sister nurse tried repeatedly to catch one of the
birds, but in vain. She spoke of it to Father Paul and
he replied, "Oh ! they won't let themselves be caught !"

"But what, then, are these beautiful little birds?"
they asked, to which the Rev. Father replied with a
smile, "Dat is correspondence," "They are messen-
gers."

Father Paul also told Theresa not to speak of these
birds to any one except to an intimate friend of hers,
"if during my life," he said, "you spread the news
abroad the birds will never come again."

On the eve of Father Paul's death the birds ap-
peared again, but they were quite dejected, and, with
drooping wings, sang a melancholy note which foretold
some sorrow or misfortune to the inmates of the house. <
This presentiment, alas ! proved but too true. Hence-
forth the "hemelsche vogeltjes" (the heavenly little
birds), as Theresa called them, disappeared. But six
months later she heard that Father Paul's photograph
was for sale in Bruges; she procured a copy and hung
it in the lady's drawing room. That very day the won-
derful birds returned and sang their joyful melody, and
they still continue to make their appearance from time
to time.

The following is the description Theresa gives of
the birds as they appeared on Wednesday, Sept. 30,

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

195

1897 : ' 'Today, at ten minutes to eleven, two little birds
of incomparable beauty arrived; their plumage was
blue, green and purple, their breasts and heads white,
but the latter with stripes of deep purple in the form of
a garland."

It seems that Theresa now understands what these
birds come to announce; for with their assistance she
often reveals events and foretells things which afterwards
come to pass. Truly, this sounds like some pious
legend of the ' 'good old times."

declares as follows : ' 'For years my son Anthony, nine
years old, had his face, neck and shoulders covered
with an eruption that gave him an appearance of a
monster; and my baby, a few weeks old, was in a simi-
lar condition. The doctors could do nothing in the
case. When Father Paul came to the house and looked
it my little Anthony, he said to me in a pleasant tone,
'Anthony ! . . . to bear the name of so great a saint, and
be in such a state ! Such a thing must not be ! Make
a novena and wash both children with water containing
the medal of St. Benedict, they will be cured.' 'But
the physician forbade me to wash them in water,' I
said, 'i tell you, wash them twelve times a day for
nine days !'

"My two children were perfectly cured during the
novena."

The same woman says, "i have visited the grave
of Father Paul three times, and on each occasion a

A Woman of Antwerp

196 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

beautiful little bird came and sang over the tomb, as
long as I prayed there. The bird did not fly away,
until the moment I left."

A Lady from Antwerp

who had much to complain about a nephew of hers — he
had threatened to do her bodily harm — went to Father
Paul for help. The Rev. Father reassured the lady,
and foretold that she would soon be delivered out of
his hands. Scarcely had three months elapsed, when
the latter had a stroke of appoplexy which resulted in
complete paralysis and mental derangement. Happen-
ing to meet Father Paul some time afterwards, she told
him about it and the Rev. Father predicted that her
nephew would recover the use of reason in order that
he might be converted. Having endured terrible suf-
ferings for a whole year, the unhappy fellow recovered
and was converted; yet, health was restored to him but
for a short time; soon after he succumbed to a second
stroke of appoplexy.

One of Father Paul's Acquaintances from Ghent,

being desirous of possessing a relic of the venerable
Benedictine, asked him repeatedly for a lock of his
hair, but in vain. His constant answer was that his
hair was too short. One day, however, at Termonde,
she was bold enough to cut off a lock of his hair, at a
moment when his attention was drawn elsewhere. As
soon as the theft had been committed the lock disap-
peared in the depths of the visitor's pocket. Father

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197

Paul was indignant beyond measure and said, ' 'if you
ever again commit the slightest impropriety, I shall for-
bid you to come here again. You will not keep very
long the lock of hair which you have just taken.

These words were spoken in such a severe tone that
the person was very much confused; she knelt down and
asked pardon but kept the lock of hair of which no fur-
ther mention was made. As soon as she returned to
Ghent, her first thought was to lock up carefully in a
drawer the precious relic, having first tied a ribbon
around the lock of hair and placed it in a piece of paper.

About four o'clock the next morning, being in bed,
she heard an unusual noise in the house; she got up,
went down stairs to investigate, and found the hall-door
half open. She cast a glance out into the street but
saw no one except the night watchman who was making
his rounds as usual. Addressing him she asked, ' 'Why
did you not ring the bell when you saw my door open ?"
He replied, "i thought you had left it open on pur-
pose." ' 'That is a poor excuse; I shall bring a com-
plaint against you." "Please don't do that, or I shall
be punished !" "Very well; but tell me how long my
door has been open ? And did you see anybody enter
or leave the house?" "Your door has been open for
two hours, and I have not seen anybody enter or leave
your house."

The lady then went upstairs and looked around to
see if anything had been stolen. She opened the draw-
er in which, the evening before, she had put the lock of
hair, and was surprised to find that it had dissappeared.
The next time she saw Father Paul, he asked her, "Do
you still have the lock of hair ?"

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I98 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

"No," she said, "i did not find it again."

"Oh, well ! I will give you one later on."

A year passed by when, according to his promise,
Father Paul gave her a lock of hair which, to her amaze-
ment, she recognized at once, being tied with the same
ribbon with which she had fastened it.

"Now", Father Paul said to her, "you need no lon-
ger reproach yourself with having stolen it; for I my-
self give it to you."

Visiting 0 Family
in the neighborhood of the monastery in Steenbrugge,
Father Paul made the following remark about their little
daughter who was three years old: "This child is so
good ! She will have a great love for the poor, and will
become the happiness of your home."

From the age of six years this girl studied how to
procure the means for giving alms to the poor, and she
is the joy of her family.

In 1894, Father Paul Being at Ghent

drove out to the residence of one of his friends. While
in the act of leaving the carriage he felt himself seized,
as he himself said, by an invisible hand, and violently
thrown on the pavement where he fell at full length.
His friend and several passers-by hastened to help him
up; they found that the skin was torn off one of his
hands and blood flowed from the wound. They wanted
to bandage his hand, but he would not allow them. .
"Never mind !" he said, "it is nothing." Then he spat

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SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

I99

on his wounds, rubbed them a little with the other hand
and said with an air of real or assumed astonishment,
' 'Hello ! What has become of those wounds? I don't
see them any more !" And really not the slightest trace
of the accident was to be seen on his hand.

from various sources of several cases where children,
apparently dead, were revived by Father Paul; but in
spite of our investigations we did not succeed in obtain-
ing accurate knowledge of the facts. There are a num-
ber of people who absolutely refuse to make known for
publication the favors obtained through the intervention
of Father Paul.

We shall, however, mention the following hearsay
reports :

At Antwerp the body of a child lay stretched on
the funeral couch. Father Paul entered and witnessed
the despair of the parents. "But are you quite sure that
your child is dead ?" the Rev. Father asked. "Perhaps
he is only sleeping !"

"Oh, no, !" the parents answered, "it is only a
corpse."

"Let us see !" the Father replied, and giving the
child a slight slap on the cheek he continued, "Come
on, my child ! Do not cause any more pain to papa
and mama ! Wake up !"

The child revived, opened his eyes and smiled at
his parents who were overflowing with joy.

In another case where the child was already dead,

We Have Been Informed

200

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

Father Paul said to the parents, "i am going to see him;
leave me alone !" A few moments afterwards, the child
came to life again.

A poor mother of Antwerp told the following story
at the house of the ecstatic, Catherine Vingerhoets, in
Stabroeck (Catherine forgot to ask the woman's name
and address) : "As I was carrying my sick baby, I
perceived all of a sudden that it had ceased to live and
I was wild with grief. At that moment a religious whom
I recognized passed by; it was the Rev. Father Paul.
I cried out to him, *0 my Father ! you who cure so
many people, cure also my poor child P Father Paul
drew near and having uncovered the child's breast a lit-
tle, he said to me, 'Return home, the child will get
well !' At that very moment my child opened his eyes."

The Only Son of Rich Parents
had reached the age of seven years but had always been
speechless. In 1892 the servant girl brought the child
to Termonde where Father Paul said to her, "That child
will be able to speak very well if his parents make a
no vena." "i shall also pray," said the servant. There-
upon Father Paul addressed the child with these words:
"Now say together with me, Jesus, Mary, Joseph !"
and slowly the child repeated the words, Jesus, Mary,
Joseph.

An Innkeeper from Steenbrugge

relates the following story: "My sister-in-law died in
giving birth to a child that was very delicate, and like-
wise died a few days later. While we were getting ready
to dress the little corpse, Father Paul entered and said,
'Stop your preparations, for that child is not yet quite

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SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

20I

dead; I shall take care of him, and he will become a
fine, chubby, young fellow.'

"The poor little creature revived; he was soon
cured and became a fine, healthy, young man."

at Steenbrugge, the report of his death was one day
spread at Bruges. A friend hastened to the abbey for
information. He was received by Father Paul himself
who said with a smile, 1 'But I certainly would have
come to warn you of my death !"

About the same time, having recovered from an ill-
ness, he went to visit a friend of his, a farmer at Oost-
camp. The latter congratulated him on his recovery
and said familiary, "You have entered on a new lease,
it seems. "

"What is the usual term of a lease?" Father Paul
asked.

"Nine years."

"Well, my lease is for nine and a half years," Fa-
ther Paul replied, and he died four days after the term
foretold.

up to the time of his death, Father Paul wore upon his
breast an old letter from the Rev. Father Damian, the
martyr of the lepers. Shall we one day know the inti-
mate relations that existed between the illustrious martyr
and the celebrated Father Paul of Moll, who was the
guide of so many souls ?

During Father Paul's Stay

During His Last Sickness,

Exhumation of the Body
of the Rev. Father Paul of Moll.

For two days after his death, in fact, up to the mo-
ment of interment, the body of Father Paul in no wise
presented the appearance of a corpse; he looked just
like a man who had gone to sleep. His complexion had
not visibly altered, and no odor was perceptible: the
symptoms of dropsy, of which he had died, dissappeared,
and what is more extraordinary, the limbs preserved
their flexibility and the body its natural heat. In
fact, a visitor asked if it were certain that he was dead;
but there was no doubt about it, as the physician had
confirmed his death.

In the first edition of this work (1898) the author
hinted at the possibility of the body being preserved
incorrupt in the tomb, and remarked that it would be
very easy to ascertain if such were the case, as the body
was buried in the vault of the Benedictine Fathers in
the cemetery of Appels which is near Termonde and
easy of access. Since then the verification has taken
place, and the result was as remarkable as it was grati-
fying to the admirers of Father Paul.

The mortal remains of the saintly monk had been
placed in a zinc coffin, which had been incased in one
of wood. But in order to insure the better preservation
of the body, some members of his family asked the
local authorities for permission to exhume it, in order
to replace the zinc coffin by one of lead. The neces-

202

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

203

sary authorization having been accorded by the proper
authorities, the body was exhumed Monday, July 24,
1899, at ten o'clock in the morning, in the presence of
members of the family of the deceased and about thirty
other witnessess.

Having lifted the body out of the vault, they found
that the wooden covering was no more suitable to receive
the new coffin of lead; it was, therefore, decided to post-
pone the transfer. However, in order to inform them-
selves as to the state of the body, they proceeded to
open the zinc coffin, and found the body in a state of
perfect preservation.

This was a source of great joy to those present who
were nearly all friends of Father Paul, and it was truly
a touching spectacle to see them all at once fall upon
their knees and join in prayer around the beloved re-
mains. Rosaries and other objects of devotion were
applied to the body, and each one was eager to carry
away, as a relic, a piece of the zinc* coffin, which was
afterwards closed up by means of a leaden-platet and
replaced in the vault.

The witnessess of the exhumation signed the follow-
ing document : —

"We, the undersigned, having been present at the
exhumation of the body of Rev. Father Paul (Francis
Luyckx) in the cemetry of Appels, Termonde, this
Monday July 24, 1899, at ten o'clock in the morning,
do hereby certify, that we saw the body through an

*The zinc did not show the slightest trace of oxidation in the in-
side of the coffin, contrary to what always takes place in similar cases.

fThis plate of lead can be seen in the picture of the exhumation
on the lower part of the coffin.

204

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

opening in the zinc coffin, fifty centimeters by twenty-
five, that is, about twenty inches by ten, and declare that
it was in a state of perfect preservation; the skin of the
face was hardened and a bister, that is, brownish color,
the hands very white. His monastic habit was clean,
and the body had preserved its original position not-
withstanding the fact that the coffin had been dragged
up almost perpendicularly from the tomb, from a depth
of four meters" (about four and one-half yards).

Mr. Pierre Cools- Vermeulen, Bell-Gheel.

Mr. Joseph Cools, Seminarian, Bell-Gheel.

Miss Regina Cools, Bell-Gheel.

Miss Rosalie Cools, Bell-Gheel.*

Mr. Camille D'Hoore, farmer, Oostcamp.

Mr. Julien van Speybrouck, Bruges.

Mr. Edward van Speybrouck, Bruges.

Miss Marie van Speybrouck, Bruges.

Mr. Emile Willaert, engineer, Waelhem-Malines.

Mr. Louis Willaert, engineer, Waelhem-Malines. ^

Miss Josephine van den Brande, Malines.

Miss Helene Middelaer, Antwerp.

Mrs. Auguste Mansion, Brussels.

Mr. Edw. Steenackers-van Brusselen, Antwerp.

Mr. A. Vandesmet, Lille.

Mrs. A. Vandesmet, Lille.

Miss Marie Vandesmet, Lille.

Mrs. Beenckens-Ridts, Herenthals.

Mrs. Em. van Velsen, Malines.

Miss Marie van Velsen, Malines.

Miss Irma van Velsen, Malines.

Mr. L. Nauwelaers, Waelhem-Malines.
♦These four are relations of Father Paul.

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SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

205

Miss Marie Siongers, Waelhem-Malines.

Mr. Aug. Cambier, Termonde.

Mrs. Gorsele, Termonde.

Mrs. Glyssens, Termonde.

Miss Justine Roggheman, Termonde.

Mr. Alf. Heessens, Termonde.

Mr. R. De Munck, Termonde.

Mr. O. Henderickx, Termonde.

Mr. A. De Pets, Termonde.

Mr. P. van Gucht, Termonde.

Mr. C. De Corte, Termonde.

took place at the exhumation. The opening in the zinc
coffin, as before mentioned, was only about 20 x 10
inches. Among the witnesses, there was present a farm-
er, who was one of the best friends of Father Paul.
This witness was ready to affirm on oath that the whole
upper portion of the zinc coffin had been removed and
that he saw, and saw with his own eyes the whole body
uncovered. He described all the details, the position
of the feet, the black stockings, the ends of the stole,
etc. All these details are exact, yet the witness was
not present when the body was laid in the coffin for
burial.

"On my return from the exhumation," he added,
"i related what I saw to the Rev. Benedictine Fathers
and other acquaintances. At the cemetery I left the
coffin twice in order to converse with some of the other
witnesses that stood a few steps farther off, and thus I
saw the whole body three times; it could not have been
- an illusion ! Or was I the only one that saw this ?"

A Strange Thing

206

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

SAYS THE AUTHOR :

"We think we have said enough to make better
known the goodness, wisdom, virtues and powerful in-
tervention of our great and never-to-be-forgotten friend.

"Can there be any doubt that if the Church accords
him the honor of beatification and a place on our altars,
the good Father Paul of Moll will be invoked by the
Catholic world in all its needs ? For indeed during his
lifetime people had recourse to him not merely in one
certain kind of cases, but, as the facts which we have
recorded show, the Rev. Father Paul interested himself,
as it were, in all the miseries of mankind, and obtained
for everyone substantial relief.

' Moreover, we feel confident (and have been in-
formed to that effect) that a number of persons will
soon furnish new material for building a monument
that will spread more and more the memory of the cele-
brated Benedictine Monk; nevertheless we are proud to
have been the first to publish something that will con-
tribute to the glory of him who, during his life, deigned
to be our friend and counselor, and who, we firmly
hope, will continue to extend to his numerous friends
here below his powerful and benign protection.

"Trustworthy persons from everywhere report fa-
vors obtained since the death of Father Paul, by having
recourse to him with confidence, as to a very powerful
saint."

We shall confine ourselves to mentioning the follow-
ing favors obtained through the powerful intercession
of Father Paul after his death : —

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

207

In 1879 a Young Servant Girl

on a farm in Oostcamp was on the point of becoming
blind. As the remedies which were applied had no ef-
fect, she determined to consult an oculist; but the farmer
who was a friend of Father Paul proposed that she should
first make a novena in honor of the Rev. Father lately
deceased.

From the sixth day of the novena the young girl's
eyes were radically cured, and the cure -has been per-
manent.

writes us as follows : In January 1900 the little daughter
of a poor farmer at Waas had a fall which inflicted a
frightful wound on her head; the blood flowed so pro-
fusely that she fainted. The physician who was sum-
moned at once recognized the seriousness of the case
and declared the wound fatal. After great efforts they
had succeeded in restoring the unfortunate little girl to
consciousness, but she was not able to speak more than
a few incoherent words, and continually cried on
account of the pain. It was pitiable to witness the
despair of the parents; at the bedside of their beloved
child they did not cease to weep and lament.

"You see,,, said the wife to her husband who had
given up the practice of his religious duties, "it is God
who has punished us !" At this reproach the husband
only bowed his head and sobbed. In the meantime a
good girl of the neighborhood came in and handed the
unhappy mother a small piece of Father Paul's scapular,
saying, "Apply by means of a bandage, this little relic

The Superioress ol a Convent

208

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

ot the forehead of your child, and let us then pray ot
Father Paul." They followed this advice with the
result that the little girl became quiet and silent for a
quarter of an hour. Then she awoke with a start and
cried out :

uMama! mama! call papa at once, I am cured !
A holy religious came and cured me ! I don't feel any
more pain." The farmer came to the bedside of his
child who said to him, "Father, will you now go to
church and to confession? A holy religious came to
cure me." The father, full of emotion and weeping for
joy, replied, "Yes, my child, I shall go to confession."
"Very well, father dear, then we will go to church
together and thank the good God."

On the following Saturday the farmer, his wife, and
their little daughter, who was now quite well, went
together to church, to the great astonishment and edifi-
cation of the people of the village.

who was very sick sent her servant on a pilgrimage to
the tomb of Father Paul in order to obtain the recovery
of her health. Upon her return the servant told the
lady that while praying before the tomb, she had also
asked Father Paul how long her mistress would yet live;
and that she had then heard a voice replying to her,
"Eleven more years." But she added that she had seen
no one, as she was all alone in the cemetery. The sick
woman much pleased to hear this, told the story herself
to several persons. She died in 1907.

In 1896, a Lady from St. Michael

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

2O9

In Moerbrugge.

a consumptive infant six months of age, the child of a
farmer, was cured at the end of a novena in honor of the
late Rev. Father Paul. During the novena a little piece
of the Rev. Father's habit was attached to the baby's
dress.

had a fine black horse taken so sick that the veterinary
surgeon declared it incurable. His wife's cousin, how-
ever, recommended that the horse be put under the
protection of Father Paul.

"i have no relic of Father Paul," she said, "except
this memorial card; attach it to the wall of the stable,
and let us pray." On the morning of the following
day the horse was cured.

a child ten years old, the son of a storekeeper, had
been afflicted with several serious maladies since his
third year. He was almost deaf, the glands of his neck
were badly swollen, his eyes, irritated by a succession
of pimples, were moist all the time, and behind his
ears there were large wounds that continually discharged
an offensive pus. The unfortunate child had already
undergone a painful operation, but without relief.

In October 1896 the mother, in conversation with
some persons about Father Paul, whom they had known
in life, said, "if Father Paul cures my poor child, I
promise that I will go to Termonde and thaDk him at

A Former at Heyst

At Steenbrugge

2IO

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

his grave." Indeed, eight days afterwards, as certified
by the mother and several witnesses, the boy was com-
pletely cured. His hearing was completely restored,
his eyes became bright and clear, the wounds back of his
ears had disappeared; in a word, the child was cured.
The mother, in company with several persons, made
the pilgrimage June 28, 1897, on the feast of Sts. Peter
and Paul.

This woman never tires of praising the good Father
Paul who during his residence in Steenbrugge had been
the benefactor of her family, and tells many wonderful
things of him.

a friend of Father Paul, had cause to complain of a
farm-hand, but delayed his dismissal, fearing his re-
venge. At last he began to pray to Father Paul to find
him a good way of getting rid of the undesirable person
without danger to himself. The next morning the farm-
hand, very much agitated and with a haggard counten-
ance, came and told the farmer that he did not wish to
remain a minute longer, "i go," he said, "for last
night I think I saw all the devils of hell."

of twenty-two years, living in Oedelem, suffered from
epilepsy for nine years, and during this time the afflic-
tion grew worse from year to year. The last six years
violent fits occurred from six to nine times a day. It
was a continual martyrdom; the girl had become an

A Farmer from Oostcamp,

A Young Lady

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

211

idiot, unable to speak and incapable of taking nourish-
ment herself. She meanwhile had become very thin
and emaciated, and involuntarily she struck at persons
that came near her, not even sparing her own mother.

In April 1896 a shred of Father Paul's habit was
sewed on the girl's scapular and since that time she
does not suffer any further attacks except in September,
and at long intervals, when the former disease returns,
but the attacks are very slight and of short duration.
The young lady's health is improving from day to day;
her reason has returned, also her speech; and there is
no longer any sign of emaciation.

an unmarried lady living in Termonde relates, "i enjoyed
a small life annuity. In 1897 on account of unforeseen
expenses, I found myself short of money. Full of con-
fidence in the protection of the Rev. Father Paul whom
I had known in life, I put his portrait in my empty safe
and said, "Father Paul, I am in need, you must help

Two days later I opened the safe and to my great
astonishment I saw lying next to his portrait more money
than I had ever had at my disposal.

A Young Lady from Thielt,
who had the jaundice, went to the Benedictine Abbey
of Termonde in the year 1897, where she was advised
to make a pilgrimage to the tomb of Father Paul. She

For Thirty Seven Years,'

212

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

did so and commenced a novena at the same time. To
the great astonishment of her docter, the patient found
herself on the way to recovery from the third day of the
novena. The docter even thought it necessary to give
her medicine to retard so rapid a cure; "For," said he,
' 'in such a case a sudden restoration to health is ab-
normal and would have serious consequences." But in
spite of all, the patient was completely cured before
the end of the novena.

an old man who was blind recovered his eyesight before
he left the tomb of Father Paul where he had gone on
a pilgrimage.

fifteen months old, of a lady in Bruges suffered from a
disease of the eyes that caused the greatest apprehension.
In spite of the physician's efforts, her eyes could not
be opened. It was feared she would become blind. In
this emergency the mother had recourse to Father Paul
whom she had on a former occasion, consulted in Steen-
brugge. She said to him : —

"Good Father, if you were still living on earth, I
would quickly go to see you; but you can understand
me up there in heaven. Obtain for me, I beseech you,
the cure of my baby. I promise that I shall make
known this favor, but I want you to do it in an extra-
ordinary manner so that there may be no mistake that
the favor is due to you."

In July 1899

In December 1899 the Baby Girl,

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

213

Hereupon the lady, in presence of her husband,
laid the child on its little bed and that very instant it
opened its eyes, crying, "Papa J Mamma!"

"in 1902 my son, seven years old, was declared
incurable by the physicians. For the last two years he
had suffered greatly in his head. The attacks in the
morning and evening were particularly severe and
lasted several hours. The child lost his reason and it
became impossible for him to go to church or to school.

"The good God finally gave us the idea of taking
him to the tomb of Father Paul. The third time we
were there, we seated ourselves together on the tomb
and after some prayers I said to my son, 'Now ask
Father Paul in a loud voice if he would please make
you well V He did so, and from that moment he suf-
fered no longer and now enjoys perfect health."

an inhabitant of Oostduinkerke, suffered very much
from cancer of the stomach. In September 1907 the
condition of the patient became so desperate that the
curate of the parish administered the last sacraments.
In the meantime Madam Crahay of Antwerp, who hap-
pened to spend a vacation in Oostduinkerke, came and
asked me for a small piece of the habit of Father Paul
of Moll in order to place it over the breast of the suf-
ferer. She also advised him and his family to make,

A Baker from Hamme-Zogge Writes:

For Several Years Charles Theyns,

214

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

with great confidence, novenas in honor of Father
Paul, and made him promise that, in case of a cure, he
would go to thank Father Paul at his tomb. The
patient was unable to take the least food, not even a
drop of water, besides he vomited black and bloody
matter. The curate coming back to see him, said that
he would not live through the day. The physician also
said that death was imminent. But during the first
days of the novena, to the great astonishment of both
the curate and the physician, the condition of the dying
man began to improve. The improvement became
more apparent from day to day, and in the course of a
second novena he was restored to perfect health. Since
then he works and travels and says he never felt better
in his life.

Here is the statement of his physician : —
"The undersigned, physician of medicine, surgery
and obstetrics at Oostduinkerke, certifies that he
treated, for some time, one named Charles Theyns of
this village for cancer of the stomach, but without any
great result, and that actually he is now completely
freed from his disease." Dr. Feys.

Oostduinkerke, Nov. 21, 1907.

paid a visit to Father Paul at Steenbrugge. In the
beginning of their conversation, Father Paul noticed a
fly flying through the room and quickly proceeded to
catch it, saying, "These flies are the cause of so many
diseases."

A Gentleman from Thielt

SOME OF HIS WONDERS.

215

In Congo, the fly ts£-ts£, whose bite causes the
sleeping-malady, is a real plague, and science is still
seeking for an effectual remedy. The sleeping-malady
is a contagious disease and has been brought into
Europe from other countries. Many cases of it have
been discovered in Belgium.

In Hamme, a farmer had been afflicted with the
sleeping-malady for three months. Two physicians
treated him but without success. Finally the farmer
placed himself under the protection of Father Paul and
made some novenas to him. He was entirely cured.
On July 1, 1913, he made a pilgrimage to Father Paul's
tomb to thank him.

inquired of me in a letter where he could get a photo-
graph of Father Paul, as he would like to become
acquainted with him. He said that his son, twenty-one
years of age, had been afflicted with a paralyzed finger.

"The physician wished to amputate the finger,"
wrote the Burgomaster, "but we prayed to Father
Paul, and the finger was restored to life, and is com-
pletely cured."

who was an intimate friend of Father Paul, says : "i
went to Father Paul's tomb with the great annual pil-
grimage of 19 13. There I said to our good saint : 'We
are anxious to take in our hay. But we are having so
much rain, please help us !' Now, on Saturday, July

The Burgomaster of Buezel

A Former in Oostcamp

2l6

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

5 th, although the weather was threatening, I made up
my mind to take in the hay, quite confident in Father
Paul's protection. My sisters tried in vain to dissuade
me, saying that the rain would spoil it all. Neverthe-
less, I gave orders to scatter the heaps of hay once
more for a final drying before loading. We had scarce-
ly begun work, when it rained again, but not a drop fell
on our hay. At the close of the day, it was taken in
perfectly dry and fragrant."

In 1906, (he Servant of a Restaurant Keeper
in Termonde had on her neck a terrible cancer which
had already been cauterized several times. Two physi-
cans were successively consulted and both advised an
operation at the hospital. But her mistress proposed
first to make a novena in honor of the late Father Paul.
On the last day of the novena the cancer disappeared
without leaving a trace.

PART SECOND.

SAYINGS OF FATHER PAUL.

Preliminary Remarks.

A conversation with the Rev. Father was always a
real treat to his intimate friends. His advice and
counsels were given with surprising precision and
appropriateness.

The Rev. Father showed himself well informed on
all subjects, and solved the most difficult questions in
a few words. He gave his friends instructions on a
multitude of subjects, God, the angels, the saints, re-
ligion, the future life, human sciences, art, everything
in fact, as though he possessed infused knowledge and
wisdom.

What pleasant and consoling remembrances ! But,
also, what a pity that all his precious communications
were not at once written down for future reference !

We have recalled to mind, and gathered up some
of these sayings and conversations, and the brief speci-
mens which we give will, we hope, induce all the friends
of Father Paul to record likewise their own personal
recollections concerning this matter.

Father Paul attributed the wonders which he worked
to the intervention of his holy Father Benedict.

"As for me," he would say, "i am only the door-
keeper of St. Benedict."

217

2l8 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

"They say that St. Benedict is minister of heaven.
We must often speak to him."

"St. Benedict is our Father, he is obliged to take
care of us."

"I have no need of any one, the Blessed Virgin
and St. Benedict are sufficient for me."

Some one reminded Father Paul that, according to
tradition, people obtained all that they demanded from
a certain saint on his feast day.

"Every day," he replied, "is the feast of St. Bene-
dict."

A friend from Oostcamp once complained of a pain
in his eyes, and said he had consulted a physician.

"All right !" replied Father Paul; "but have you
already addressed St. Benedict? He is the best
physician."

To show the great power of the medal of St. Bene-
dict, Father Paul maintained that one medal was suffi-
cient to put out a conflagration.

The death of a young lady brought sorrow to a
numerous family. They spoke of it to Father Paul who
showed himself deeply effected and said, —

"A medal of St Benedict would have cured her."

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SOME OF HIS SAYINGS.

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"Lightning and the noise of thunder have always
been the cause of terror to me. When it thunders I
tremble like a leaf," said a man from the country to
Father Paul.

"Here is a medal of St. Benedict," he replied;
"wear it around your neck, you will not be afraid any
more, and will have nothing to fear from lightning."

In the beginning of his residence at Steenbrugge,
Father Paul said to his friends, "St. Benedict is not
well enough known."

"When I have a visit to make, I do not trust to
myself for what I have to say, and I do not get my
speeches ready; but I pray to the Holy Spirit to en-
lighten me, and aid me."

"Parents in heaven intercede unceasingly with God
in behalf of their children on earth."

"By their prayers and good works, children aug-
ment the accidental glory of their parents who are in
heaven."

«*»

"The souls in purgatory are aware of the discord
of the members of their families on earth, and this
knowledge increases their sufferings."

220 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

Speaking of the soul of a lady deceased, Father Paul
said, "She remained only one hour in purgatory, and
she did not stay there any longer because she brought
up her children so well.,, He added that by a special
privilege, this lady had undergone the hour of her pur-
gatory on the chair in which she had expired.

A lady having died after a long and painful sick-
ness her daughter went to Steenbrugge and asked Father
Paul if he thought that her mother went straight to
heaven, after so many sufferings.

' 'Madam," he replied, "your mother would be al-
ready in heaven, if she had not spoiled her children so
much. She is still in purgatory pray hard for her."

"A good means of avoiding a long stay in purgatory

is to die entirely resigned to the holy will of God, "

A lady had met her death in a terrible railway col-
lision near Ghent. Father Paul said that her soul had
gone straight to heaven because, at the last moment,
the lady cried out, "Lord, may Thy will be done."

A person from the village of Ursel complained to
Father Paul that an ecstatic had told her that her father,
who had died a short time before, was in purgatory.

"I became angry with this girl," she said, "because

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221

my father was an excellent Christian and died completely
resigned to the will of God; I cannot believe that his
soul is still in purgatory !"

Father Paul sweetly replied, "Why do you refuse
to believe what this ecstatic girl asserts ? Of course,
you are not obliged to do so. Your father was very
good, but are you quite certain that he died entirely
resigned to the will of God ? . . . For the rest, do not be
so anxious; it is not sure that your father has to suffer
in purgatory. A great many souls endure no other suf-
fering than the delay of their admission to heaven; and
to many of them permission is given to hover in the
church before the Most Holy Sacrament."

"in order to go straight to heaven, one must mak^e
a close acquaintance with the Queen of Heaven."

A young girl from the country asked Father Paul
to say a Mass for the success of a certain affair.
"Rather have that Mass said for the repose of the soul of
your mother who is deep down in purgatory," he replied.

Father Paul used to relate that the soul of a sister
appeared to him and said, "Oh, my father! purgatory
is more terrible than you have described !"

"The cold which certain souls endure in purgatory
is as terrible as fire."

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222

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

A subscriber to an irreligious journal having died
at Saint-Michel, his wife would not give up the paper,
although she refrained from reading it.

Father Paul maintained for certain that the widow
would have to remain long in purgatory, for having
tolerated the introduction of a journal of that kind into
her house.

"There are souls condemned to stay in purgatory
till the end of the world."

Father Paul often asserted that the souls in purga-
tory who were delivered by his prayers came to thank
him.

Sometimes, at the request of the relatives of those
that had died, Father Paul told them how long the souls
of these departed ones had to stay in purgatory. But
usually he avoided letting them know when they were
delivered, because, as a rule, he said, the friends then
cease to pray for their souls, and yet the prayers offered
up for them increase their accidental happiness in heaven.

He also said that a great number of suffering souls
continually came to him to ask his prayers for their de-
liverance, and that at night, his bed was surrounded by
suffering souls.

In the confessional Father Paul said to one of his
penitents, "if you were to die now, you would have
three days of purgatory, and I could diminish your
punishment by only one day."

SOME OF HIS SAYINGS.

223

"None of my near relatives are any longer in pur-
gatory."

«*»

Father Paul said to a Carmelite nun, "You can
avoid passing through purgatory, if you carefully ob-
serve the Rule of your Order."

Father Paul said that he gave himself the discipline
every day for the following intentions : —

1. The perseverance of the just.

2. The conversion of sinners.

3. The holy Church.

4. The souls in purgatory.

5. The happiness of his friends and benefactors.
He used to say that a great many suffering souls

would then appear to him and cry out, "For me,, if you
please ! For me ! For me !"

"On each of her feasts, the Blessed Virgin descends
into purgatory, consoles all the suffering souls, and
delivers many of them.,,

«*>

A Beguine from Antwerp having died suddenly, her
servant was deeply grieved. As Father Paul was visit-
ing a lady acquaintance of his, she spoke to him of the
servant's grief.

"Oh !" said the Father, "She ought not to be sad,
her old mistress will be in purgatory only for eight days,
and she does not suffer there."

224 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

A merchant was on the point of having recourse to
a banker, but he thought it best to consult Father Paul
first.

"For my part," he replied, "i would rather address
myself to the souls in purgatory than the banker, for
these souls are always grateful when we pray for their
release, and they then obtain from God all we ask and
even more."

Father Paul was always on the lookout for an op-
portunity of enrolling members in the Confraternity of
the Blue Scapular, and advised the new members to
gain every day, as far as possible, all the plenary indul-
gences applicable to the suffering souls.

The members of this Confraternity can gain a
great number of plenary indulgences for the souls in
purgatory, as often as they recite six Our Fathers, Hail
Marys and Glory be to the Father, etc., and this with-
out the necessity of approaching the sacraments.

At Termonde, in 1894, a man was the victim of a
terrible accident which cost his life. Father Paul spoke
of this unhappy case as follows : "He had no religion
and never went to church, but his soul is not lost
because, at the last moment, he offered up his life in
expiation of his sins. All the same, he will stay a long
time in purgatory."

"A lady from Antwerp writes : "Very often we had
the happiness of having the good and saintly Father
Paul at our house. During the evenings, in the inti-

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SOME OF HIS SAYINGS.

225

macy of a holy friendship, he would entertain us with
pious topics, and when he spoke to us of the love of
God, it was with the burning words of a seraph, he
would go on repeating : —

" *0 love of God ! Love so little known ! so little
loved ! Who can describe the love of God for us ?
No, the love of all the mothers united to the love of all
the angels and saints is only an atom compared to His
divine love !'

"When he spoke to us of the passion of our Savior
he shed abundant tears, and his face was, as it were,
transfigured.

"He told us once that his sermons had been criti-
cized because he never failed to speak of the love that
God has for us.

" 'And then/ he said, *I took some notice of these
remarks; but God gave me to understand that I had
not done right, and He commanded me to speak, at
each sermon or conference, of His great love for man.'

"The souls in purgatory had a great comforter in
Father Paul. 'One day,' he told us, 'i was very sick
in my cell, and leaning with my elbow on the back of
my chair, I heard quite close to me, groans and lam-
entations. I turned around and beheld a soul enveloped
in flames and completely tied up with chains. This
soul asked me to remember her in my prayers, and
especially in the holy sacrifice of the Mass. I said to
her, 'Pray for me; I shall pray for you.' At that
very instant the soul disappeared and I found myself
cured. Shortly afterwards this soul was released and
came to thank me.' "

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LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

Father Paul related one of his visions to a person
from Knesselaere in the following manner : —

"The Blessed Virgin appeared to me, holding the
Divine Infant in her arms; he was crying bitterly and
did not cease to complain. I asked Mary what was
the cause of the sorrows of the little Jesus, and she
replied, 'it is because priests do not remind the faithful
sufficiently of the love of God for man, and of the
passion of our Savior.'

"Thereupon I promised to treat of these two sub-
jects in my next sermon, and immediately the sadness of
the Infant Jesus was changed into great joy. He threw
His little arms round the neck of His Mother, and
embraced her tenderly."

A lady acquaintance from Knesselaere paid a visit
to Father Paul and found him very ill, his head, and
left arm and leg were much swollen. Father Paul
explained the cause of his condition in these terms : —

"I had great pains in my head and suffered so
intensely from them that I complained to Jesus. He
replied to me, 'How insignificant your sufferings are,
compared with the martyrdom I suffered, when crowned
with thorns !'

"Then I asked Him that I might experience the pain
of only one of those thorns and, at the same instant,
the torture became so great that I fainted."

From a letter to the Mother Superior of a con-
vent: "it is by love that one can overcome the All-
powerful God; He is so sensitive to love that He can
refuse us nothing."

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SOME OF HIS SAYINGS.

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Extracts from Letters from Father Paul

To a Lady in Knesselaere.

' 'God is astonishing in His love. The more we
love Him, the more He loves us. He pays us back in
tenfold love, the love which we have for Him."

4 'Man will be all the more glorious in heaven, the
greater his love for God has been on earth."

"The love of God is as beautiful for men who love
Him, as it is terrible to the demons and the damned."

"The more a man loves God, the more beautiful he
grows in the eyes of God."

"God being infinite love, we can always love Him
more and more."

"O love ! O infinite love ! O eternal love ! O sweet
love of God !"

"Man finds his greatest consolation in faithfully
keeping the commandments of God and the holy Church,
and in having a great devotion to Mary."

Father Paul once said to a person in Antwerp, "i
never cease saying, 'O love ! O great love ! O infinite
love of God !' If men knew how pleasing this is to
God, they would repeat it without ceasing; several
persons have become saints in this way."

Father Paul once said to a lay sister, a penitent of
his : "When you enter the church in the morning it will
be like a burning furnace; fire everywhere, the fire of
the love of God to welcome you. You will not see this
fire, but the whole church will be full of it."

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228 a LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

"A sigh of love for God is worth more than a whole
year of penance" (penance performed habitually or in
our own will).

"God will not ask, 'Have you done much?' but,
'Have you worked for the love of God ?' Quantity is
not sufficient, it is quality that is necessary."

"On rising in the morning, many persons offer to
God all the actions of the day saying, 'All for the glory
of God P But they should say, 'All for the love and
glory of God !' because love surpasses all."

"Very early one morning, Father Paul seeing a
peasant who had come a long distance through a terrific
snowstorm, to hear Mass in the church at Steenbrugge,
said to him : 'if you could see the immense merits
which your courage has procured for you, you would be
astonished, and you might yet increase them in a meas-
ure incredible, by saying, 'All for the love of Jesus.'"

To a servant girl in Antwerp Father Paul said,
"Before eating, sleeping, opening or closing a door, or
any other action, always have the intention of doing all
for the love of Jesus. In this way you will continually
reap a rich harvest for heaven."

"The devil can promise everything,' but can give
nothing."

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SOME OF HIS SAYINGS. 229

"Humility renders men great in the eyes of God."

"When making the Way of the Cross, try to have
compassion for the sufferings of Christ; for all those
who took part in His sorrows became saints as, for ex-
ample, Simon of Cyrene, Veronica, the good thief, the
holy women and so many others."

"The power of the demons and their allies among
men is not very terrible, because their activity is quickly
rendered sterile by want of harmony in their camp, where
the troops always end by fighting among themselves."

"The devil cannot go any farther than the length
of his chain will allow." (in Flemish : De duvel kan
toch maer loopen zoo verre alz zijin keten lang is. )

' 'The devil becomes still more active at the approach
of great festivals; and you will observe that then, es-
pecially, he stirs up dissensions in families."

"When a demon suggests a bad thought, it is easy
to resist the temptation; but if one does not immediately
repel it, a second demon comes at once to help the first.
Afterwards, in proportion as resistance is delayed, still
other demons come and combine their efforts, and when
one has to battle against seven devils all at once, it is
very difficult not to succumb."

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230 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

To pregnant women, Father Paul gave the advice
to go to the priest and ask him to recite over them the
prayers appointed for that purpose in the ritual, so as
to guard themselves, as well as the children to be born,
against all possible misfortune.

4 'it is before and at the moment of birth that the
Evil One is most intent upon doing mischief to human
beings, and consequently there is some risk in not having
recourse to the special prayers of the Church."

One day Father Paul was seen with a large wound
on his forehead. He explained that it was the effect of
a blow which the devil had given him.

Father Paul said that one day, after hearing a man's
confession, he was forcibly lifted up by the devil to the
ceiling of the confessional; at the same time he heard a
voice crying out to him, "I am. ..." (giving here the
full name of a certain person).

Father Paul once said to a friend, "l have just
seen our Savior and immediately afterwards there filed
past me a large troop of men on horseback, all clad in
armour, like cavaliers of the Middle Ages : they were
so many demons ! When anything good happens, the
devil at once interferes."

There was a talk in the presence of Father Paul of
sorcerers and sorceresses, of diabolical Sabbath meetings

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231

and interferences of evil spirits. Asked to express his
opinion, Father Paul said, "in our days the action of
the evil spirit is less to be feared than formerly. His
power diminishes with the ever increasing number of
priests; for the almost continual offering of the holy
sacrifice of the Mass victoriously neutralizes the efforts
of Satan."

During a storm that was accompanied by vivid
flashes of lightning and the deafening crash of thunder,
Father Paul said; "At the last judgment the sentence
pronounced against the reprobates will crash like this
over their heads, but with a noise a thousand times
more terrible. "

A young lady writes, "One day at Steenbrugge,
Father Paul exhorted me to pray daily in union with
the anguish of Jesus crucified and the sorrows of Mary
at the foot of the cross. The Rev. Father said that
he did it also, and to these prayers he attributed the
great number of sinners who came to confession to him;
and for that reason the devil had vowed a special hatred
against him.

"One night," he added, "the devil came to my cell
and leaped on my neck with an indescribable rage, in
order to strangle me."

"But, Father!" I exclaimed, "how did you get
rid of him?"

"Oh, well, my child, I invoked Jesus in His love
and said, *0 love ! O infinite love ! O ocean of love !
How great was your goodness for men to allow Your-
self to be tempted in the desert by Satan V And im-

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232 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

mediately the devil fled, grumbling in a horrible manner
and filling my cell with a pestilential odor. He often
comes to torment me."

Father Paul told a sister in Antwerp that the devil
gave him volleys of blows, and in a thousand different
ways, often handled him very roughly.

"But one must not complain of it," he added, "for
if you knew how beautiful heaven is, you would ask to
suffer everything in order to get there."

He told her also that the Blessed Virgin appeared
to him very frequently; and when he spoke of heaven
which, he said, he saw in ecstasy, he would never come
to an end.

To another person Father Paul said that on a cer-
tain Christmas night, he had never seen the heaven of
the elect look so beautiful as on that occasion.

"Last night," Father Paul said to a farmer, "the
devil lifted me violently from my bed and threw me
rudely on the floor." "Although I am not naturally
timid," the farmer replied, "i assure you that, in a
similar case, I would tremble in all my limbs. And
were you not afraid?"

"Not at all," Father Paul answered, "what we
ought to fear far more is the woild where devils swarm,
and where the devil reigns supreme."

"it is useless to seek perfection among men; per-
fection is found in heaven alone."

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In the case of ecstatics, if they give into the slight-
est thought of pride, the devil at once interferes with
their actions."

Someone complained to Father Paul about an ec-
static. "Then do not believe, " he said, "that these
saintly souls have no faults. No saint in this world is
exempt from faults."

"The devil cannot endure humility; it is his great
enemy; as soon as he perceives its presence anywhere,
he becomes helpless and runs away."

"A good way of finding out for sure whether an
apparition is diabolical, is to ask the blessing of the
being that has appeared; for the devil has no power to
impart a blessing."

During a conversation in which Father Paul spoke
of the great power of holy water which, through ignor-
ance, is not sufficiently appreciated, some one said to
him : —

"Once when I had warts on my hand, a friend as-
sured me that an excellent means of getting rid of them
was to plunge these warts into holy water and then
make the sign of the cross with that hand. He said
I should do this once a day for three days in succession.
I followed his advice and the warts disappeared. This
remedy received the approval of the Rev. Father.

Father Paul was not pleased to see people enter the

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234 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

church without taking holy water. To a gentleman who
did not stop to bless himself he said,

"Take holy water; there at least, the devil is not
present."

October 14, 188 1, a furious hurricane swept over
a building in course of construction, belonging to the
Marais Congregation in Bruges. The building was com-
pletely overturned so that hardly a stone remained upon
a stone. The roof was taken off by one blast, then the
solid walls of the grand building were entirely over-
thrown. This catastrophe astonished even the con-
tractors and builders, and the architect when informed
of this misfortune, was so terribly shocked that he died
soon after. Father Paul explained the cause of the
disaster in these words : —

"This is quickly done. Satan places a demon
against each stone and at the first signal, the whole
collapses !" The Rev. Father also recommended that
one or several medals of St. Benedict be placed within
the material of the new building, in order to protect it.

During one winter there was continual bad weath-
er. Now, with the least blast of wind one or more
panes of glass were broken in a convent, situated not
far from the monastery of Steenbrugge; the glazier alone
enjoyed the benefit of these mishaps.

The proper thing to do in this case was to com-
plain to Father Paul; people had to live at a great dis-
tance in order not to have recourse to him in every
vexatious circumstance. So the sisters went to Father

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235

Paul and he said, "I saw a demon in your garden; it is
he who makes use of the wind to break your windows.
Here is a medal, fasten it to your door on the inside,
and fear no more." From that time forward the glazier
lost his job of putting in new windows at the convent

"The Liberals are the devil's sorcerers: they will
cut a droll figure once when they arrive in the other
world. "

"The Nihilists of Russia are a scourge, like the
grasshoppers : the more that are imprisoned, the more
come."

"Socialism here is but a passing wind."
"The Jews have their paradise on earth."

"People complain of socialism, but it will spread
a great deal more, and this, because people do not suf-
ficiently venerate the Most Holy Sacrament."

On the morning after the elections for the legisla-
ture, by which the late "liberal" ministry in Belgium
was defeated, Father Paul said, "The liberal party has
lived. Now there are but two parties,- the Catholics
and the Socialists."

"The perfections of God are infinite. In heaven
the saints will see the divine perfections succeed each
other without ceasing : every moment a new perfection
will be revealed to them, and so it will be through all
eternity."

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236 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

A country girl having told Father Paul that she had
been warned against the book known as "The Prayers
of St. Gertrude," he replied that it was a great mistake
and added, "Of all prayer books, this is the most
beautiful."

"if it were permitted to one of the elect to live
again in this world, he would submit with joy to all the
sufferings that men have ever endured here below, in
order to add to his merits that which he would acquire
by the recital of one Ave Maria"

Father Paul related the following vision to a young
lady of Knesselaere : —

"I am in the habit of reciting daily the rosary of
our Lady of the Seven Dolors; but one day, when I was
on a journey, I unwillingly omitted this pious exercise.
The following night the Blessed Virgin appeared to me,
her heart pierced with the seven dolors; her eyes were
bathed in tears, nor did she utter a word. Having
made the sign of the cross, I set out at once to say my
rosary, and noticed that the Blessed Virgin joined her
hands. Having finished the meditation and prayers of
the first group of seven beads, one of the seven dolors
of Mary emitted a celestial light. And as I recited
the following groups of seven beads, the other six
dolors were also illumined with the same splendor.

"Having finally recited three Hail Marys in mem-
ory of the tears of the Blessed Virgin, I saw the tears
of Mary dissolving into a heavenly smile; the divine
Mother greeted me, blessed me and disappeared."

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237

A person living in Thielt reports the following
stories as told by Father Paul : —

" 'One evening, in 1895, after our spiritual exerci-
ses, I was walking through the cloister in the abbey, re-
citing, according to my custom, three Hail Marys in
honor of our Lady to obtain her maternal blessing,
when all at once I saw this good Mother clothed in a
robe of dazzling white. She approached and made a
little cross with her thumb on my forehead. The
emotion which I felt is indescribable, and if the appa-
rition had lasted two minutes longer, Father Paul would
be no more of this world; for I would not have been
able to support this brilliancy any longer.'

' 'After Father Paul had told me the above, he fell
into an ecstasy which lasted about five minutes."

Here are two other visions related by Father Paul
to the same person : —

" 'One day while I knelt in adoration before the
Most Holy Sacrament exposed, I saw Jesus standing
before me. He wore a white garment, and was of daz-
zling beauty.' "

Again : " 'A very pious young girl was saying the
rosary in our church, in honor of the nine choirs of
angels. I saw above her head nine silver strings which
continually moved up and down. This symbolized the
joy felt by the angels of the nine choirs at the homage
which was paid to them.'

"Father Paul loved to propagate this devotion to
the nine choirs of angels."

From a young lady of Heusden (Ghent) we heard
the following story :

"At a visit to Father Paul, in 1895, he said to me,

238 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

'if I were to tell you something, would you believe me ?'
" 'Yes, Father.'

" 'The Blessed Virgin appeared to me, and before
disappearing she placed her hand upon my shoulder.'

"He also said to me, 'There are souls in the fire of
purgatory who ask your prayers for their deliverance.
You knew these persons well, and now they are forgotten
by their children.'

"He also told me that my father is in heaven."

In the confessional, Father Paul said to a friend
from Oostcamp: —

"From the time of the Ascension of our Lord, the
most Blessed Virgin communicated every day and by a
special privilege, the host remained intact within her
up to the moment of the next Communion, so that Mary
always guarded, in her interior, the humanity and di-
vinity of Jesus Christ; and thus was able to keep up a
continual conversation with her Divine Son."

Father Paul said to a person from Oostcamp, "in
an ecstasy, a saint has seen the body of St. Joseph pre-
served intact in a tomb, the site of which is yet unknown.
The more the glorious Spouse of the most Blessed Vir-
gin is honored, the sooner will the finding of his body
take place, which will be a day of great joy for the
Church."

"At the time when the Church is most persecuted,
God raises up in the world the greatest number of saints."

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239

To a Trappist lay brother Father Paul once said,
"A single act of humility is worth more than fasting a
hundred years on water and bread; for humility always
remains a virtue, whilst fasting is often accompanied
with pride."

"Never has there been so much faith as at the pres-
ent day."

Some one remarked to the Rev. Father that our
generation was not so good as the preceding one.
"You cannot say that!" he replied.

"When God works miracles in our favor, He is
pleased most often to produce them in a manner which
seems quite natural."

"Every communication coming from the Father of
Lights is made in clear and very concise terms, leaving
no place for doubt or double meaning."

Once when Father Paul was sick, he said, "i can-
not ask for my recovery, but others can ask it for me.
I can ask everything for others."

Speaking of certain persons whose faithful friend-
ship for himself he praised highly, Father Paul gave the
assurance that these friends would never suffer any mis-
fortunes.

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240 LIFE OF 'FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

"During the consecration of the three Masses on
Christmas I obtain everything I asked for."

"in order to be heard, it is not always sufficient
only to pray oneself, one should also ask the prayers of
others. "

The Mother Superior of a convent complained to
Father Paul that he came so seldom to help the com-
munity with his counsels.

"i am so often in the midst of you without your
seeing me," the Rev. Father replied.

The following extract we copied from the letter of
Father Paul, addressed from Termonde, Aug. 30, 1894,
to a person in Ghent whom he had visited that day : —

"i arrived home safe, without seeing or hearing
anything on the way. While you were still looking at
me, I was already at home."

Are not these lines calculated to suggest the idea
of bilocation ?

"it is better to make novenas in the morning than
in the evening."

Father Paul advised a countryman to make a novena
to St. Benedict.

"I shall have to wait a few days," he replied, "for
I have commenced a novena to St. Joseph."

"Nothing prevents you from making the two nove-

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241

nas at the same time, in heaven, there is no jealousy
among the saints."

Father Paul blamed those very much, who habitu-
ally spent part of the night in work or in pleasure. He
said : "The night belongs to God,"

Father Paul sometimes made use of pleasantries in
order to make people remember his advice. He asked
a farmer who went to him to confession, "Until what
hour do you stay out in the evening?"

"That depends; when I amuse myself, I do not
come home till eleven or midnight."

"How many commandments of God are there?"

"Ten."

"There you see! If it were good not to come
home till eleven, there would be eleven command-
ments . . . Believe me, go to bed at ten, and you will feel
much better for it."

In the presence of Father Paul, some one made
fun of an absent person who was very scrupulous.

"Scrupulosity," he said, "is one of the saddest
maladies. Be very careful not to make fun of scrupu-
lous persons, for you may one day become scrupulous
yourself."

A very scrupulous person asked for a way out of
her scruples. Father Paul laughingly replied, "Well,
then, don't be scrupulous any longer !"

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242 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

"The good God is not pleased with scrupulous
people."

"it is the saints who have to endure the greatest
temptations in this world."

The good and saintly Father Paul loved cheerful
dispositions. "You will see," he said to some religious,
"That in convents and everywhere the persons who are
sad are always the least to be recommended. They
keep their eyes cast down and give themselves the air
of a "Saint-don't-touch-me;" being full of restlessness,
nothing gives them pleasure. Always the last where
duty calls, they go there without fervor, but with their
false air of habitual compunction.

"Whilst with persons who are always gay and full
of joy, work becomes easy and brings forth good and
salutary results."

Father Paul opposed making vows. "This often
causes trouble later on," he said, "it is preferable to
say, 'I resolve to do this or that.' "

A friend asked for prayers to obtain a certain favor.
Father Paul replied, "l shall ask for what you demand
when Our Lord comes."

Regarding these divine visits Father Paul once said
to another friend, in a most suggestive tone of voice,
"Have you read how familiarly St. Mechtild conversed
with our Lord ?"

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SOME OF HIS SAYINGS. 243

"The remedy for cancer exists, but is not yet
known."

"The physicians know the streets, the places and
the houses of the human body quite well, but they do
not know their inhabitants."

"When I have to take medicine, I never fail first
to dip a medal of St. Benedict into it."

One day in summer, when the Rev. Father was in
the garden with his friends, some one cut off a few
small branches of a fruit tree and said jokingly, "The
tree won't complain of it, it does not feel these cuts."

"You know nothing about it," replied Father Paul
in a very suggestive tone.

/ "Must then everything that has life on earth be
subject to the law of suffering ?"

"Very often those who retain the goods of others
die without making restitution."

"if a sinner were, for a single moment, to see the
state of his soul, he would at once die of fright."

To a lady whom he had cured, Father Paul said,
"Will you be kind enough to induce all your friends
and acquaintances who are sick to come to see me ? I
shall cure them all !"

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LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

"i can obtain nothing for those who have the habit
of blaspheming."

Father Paul said that he gave his blessing to his
friends three times every day.

"All those who shall have suffered on my account
will be associated with me in my glory. "*

"People will publish the good which I have done,
but will be silent as to what I have suffered. . ."

"Only at the last judgment will it be known how
much I have suffered," Father Paul said to a friend.

"The simplicity of the just is turned into ridicule,"
says St. Gregory, and so it was with the* good and
saintly Father Paul. He was conscious of the raillery,
at times very bitter, of which certain people made him

* Expressions of this sort have appeared strange to some readers
of the First Edition, and appear to be little in accord with the hu-
mility of a saint. But history furnishes many examples of similar
expressions from the lips of canonized saints. To cite but one ex-
ample, the numerous authors who during many centuries have written
the life of St. Godelieve of Ghistelles unanimously mention this pre-
diction of the illustrious martyr: "The day will come when 1 shall
be raised above all the women of Flanders." How often have not
the saintly souls of this world been, as it were, the mouth-pieces of
God ? And have not the prophets of the Old Testament been the
inspired and docile instruments of which the Almighty made use in
order to announce and foretell to the nations His immutable and
eternal decrees ?

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245

the object, and most probably he also foresaw the
injuries which would be heaped on his memory by some
of his implacable enemies. Be that as it may, his
friends love to recall a very suggestive remark of his, —
"My friends will be the last to laugh, and nothing
will prevent them from laughing forever."

The good and saintly Father Paul was often calum-
niated and persecuted. He remarked one day to a
friend, —

"Those who dig a pit for me, will themselves fall
into a deeper one."

About the year 1888, Father Paul said to a person
at Watervliet, that God had decided to punish the whole
world with terrible chastisements; but that finally He
had spared mankind, in answer to the prayers and
penances of one single religious.

Father Paul did not tell the name of this religious.

In the confessional, an ecstatic said to Father Paul
that in a dream she had seen the Rev. Father's soul
carried to heaven by angels and there placed near the
choir of angels. He replied simply, "Yes indeed, my
place is there." Then he asked, "Do you know your
place in heaven ?"

"No."

"Well, I know it."

We may here remark that other ecstatics of our
country likewise say that the Rev. Father Paul has a

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246 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

high place in heaven, and that he is a very powerful
protector. But the Church alone has the authority to
confirm these assertions.

To a friend Father Paul said, "Oh ! we all know
our places in heaven !"

"it is wrong to imagine heaven as a place whose
inhabitants enjoy the same happiness. Heaven is a
dwelling place where every work of charity, "werk van
liefde," enjoys an eternal recompense."

In the confessional, Father Paul said to a servant
girl from Thielt at the very beginning, "i know every-
thing that you are going to confess, but, nevertheless,
you have to tell it yourself. "

As an ecstatic was making her confession to Father
Paul, he interrupted her, saying, "Do you not see our
Lord?"

"No."

"But I see Him, He is at your side."

To an ecstatic Father Paul said, "You will not
work any miracles during your life-time, but you will
after your death."

A short time before his departure from Steenbrugge,
on a Sunday at Mass, Father Paul addressed the con-
gregation from the pulpit as follows : —

"I shall not stay here much longer. Let all those

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247

who are suffering, or whose hearts are suffering, come
to see me; I shall help them all !"

To one of his penitents Father Paul said, ' 'Always
obey me blindly, I shall be your guide during my life
and after my death."

One day this same person said to the Rev. Father
that, if he died, she would deserve to be pitied very much.

' 'On the contrary," he replied, ' 'it will be so much
better for you, when I am in heaven; for then you may
ask me continually and my power will be still greater."

To a poor working girl of Thielt Father Paul said,
"l will protect you all my life, and much more so after
my death."

To another poor woman he said, "i will give you
a loaf of bread which will never get mouldy, and a cup
which will never be drained."

As Father Paul was visiting the wife of a black-
smith in Steenbrugge whose child was about to be buried,
he said to her, —

"if I had been allowed to come, your child would
not have died."

After a day of consultation, Father Paul was on the
point of leaving Antwerp when some one spoke to him
of a mother whose child was sick. He replied, "it is
a great pity that this child was not brought to me, for
all the sick children that came today have been cured."

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248 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

Surprise was once expressed in the presence of Fa-
ther Paul at the great number of children he cured.

"it is not surprising at all," he said, "these chil-
dren have not yet done evil."

Married couples who were desolate because they
had no children, also applied for help. But in order
to have their wishes granted, the Rev. Father insisted
that these couples should come to him in person and
ask his prayers.

A friend of Father Paul failed to obtain a good
photograph of an artistic object. Having lost patience,
he wrote to the Rev. Father and received the following
reply : —

"if you think that the devil is interfering in this
matter, put a medal on the object that is to be photo-
graphed, and all will go well."

"Do not forget to attach a medal to your easel,"
said Father Paul to an artist painter.

While Father Paul was visiting a chateau in the
neighborhood of Bruges, he was informed that a friend
had met with a railway accident. Father Paul re-
marked,

"This gentleman had a medal of St. Benedict in
his pocket-book : if he had worn it about his neck, he
would not have had this accident."

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SOME OF HIS SAYINGS. 249

A friend having demanded the prayers of Father
Paul for a relative living in Paris, the Father gave him
a medal to be sent and earnestly advised him to tell the
patient not to put the medal in his pocket-book, but
wear it around his neck, as also his scapular, as that
was the only proper way of doing to experience the ef-
fect of blessed objects.

The friend found out later that the patient in Paris
carried his scapular in his pocket-book.

Father Paul strongly disapproved of the manner in
which blessed objects, such as scapulars and medals,
are sometimes worn around the neck in a covering com-
pletely closed. He said that the covering should be
open at the lower end; and when he was asked, why
this should be so, he simply replied, "That is a mystery. "

When Father Paul visited some farmers in Oost-
camp, a young lady who was sick asked him to cure her.

"Make use of your medal of St. Benedict and you
will get well."

"i don't know where it is. . . "

"What? don't you wear the medal? And I, a re-
ligious, would not dare to be without the cross and the
medal about my neck; and you, a simple lay person, do
not wear it !"

"When we arrive up there, St. Peter will ask,
'Have you suffered much on earth ? If you have, enter;
if not, there is no room for you here.' "

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LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

A young girl from Scheepsdaele complained to Fa-
ther Paul that she had very little time for her devotions,
and even the few prayers she did say were said with
many distractions.

"Oh! in that case," Father Paul replied, "you
can remedy the matter by saying, in the evening, 'May
all my imperfections of this day be changed into per-
fections !' "

A good country woman from Lichtervelde went to
Steenbrugge to see Father Paul. He said to her, "You
find it very difficult to pray, don't you?"

"Yes, Father!"

"Well, then, look here : when you wish to pray,
place your hand on your heart and say, 'Good Jesus,
You know very well what that means !' That is enough,
for it says everything." ^

"When you say the Our Father, say it with the
intention of obtaining the highest place in heaven."

A servant girl said to Father Paul, "l am some-
times afraid of going mad."

"No, no!" the Rev. Father replied, "you will
never go mad : you are not proud enough."

Father Paul did not read any newspapers. "What's
the use," he said. "What they print today is denied
tomorrow." And showing his crucifix, he said, "This
is my newspaper."

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SOME OF HIS SAYINGS. 25 1

"Without the murderous attack of which he was the
victim, the President of the French Republic, Carnot,
would never have been converted."

A young girl inquired if the misfortunes that befell
her family were divine punishments.

"No," replied Father Paul, "they are trials which
the good God sends you in order to make you a little
more like Him." Thereupon the girl asked what wouLd
become of her.

"An angel in heaven," he said.

To a friend from Oostcamp he once said, "Ik weet
alles regtstreeks van onzen Lieven Heer." "i get all
my information directly from our dear Lord."

Conversing with some friends, Father Paul asked
them what they would do to protect themselves against
a mad dog. After every one had declared his plan,
Father Paul, in his turn said, "As for me, I would take
a medal of St. Benedict* in my hand, and would pass
on quietly, without troubling myself : the mad dog
would not come near."

*We may remark here that at the celebrated basilica of St.
Hubert, in Luxemburg, which is frequented by people bitten by
mad beasts, medals of St. Benedict are distributed.

Apropos of the great St. Hubert is it not strange to see of
late so many people of Belgium and the north of France, when
bitten by dogs, have recourse to the Pasteur treatment which does
not guarantee a cure ? Numerous cases prove that. Whereas the
experience of twelve centuries conclusively shows that the cure
( la taille") at St. Hubert works infallibly!

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252 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

A young man having told Father Paul that he had
been sent in ridicule a sarcastic caricature, because,
when invited to a feast on a fast day, he had abstained
from forbidden meats, the Rev. Father replied that this
derision would merit for him and his family great honor
in the other world.

Entering a convent, Father Paul asked the Mother
Superior, "Have you already thanked the good God
for all the pains which He has sent you ? . . . No ? Well,
then, I shall do so for you."

A young man wrote to Termonde, asking that his
mother be cured. Father Paul replied: "in answer to
the prayer which I have offered, your mother ought to
be completely restored by this time.,,

Here is another proof of the goodness and patience
of Father Paul. Speaking of a family in Antwerp, he
confided to a friend that these good people consulted
him in all their affairs, and added, "They would not
change a nail in their house without asking me if I
approved of the change."

When Father Paul refused to be interested in an
affair, it was a bad sign. Whilst the Count of Cham-
bord was still living, a visitor spoke to him of that
pretender to the throne of France, hoping to receive
some light as to his chances of success. Father Paul
coldly remarked, "l do not occupy myself with this
matter."

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The New Year's letters which Father Paul sent to
his friends always contained, under the guise of good
wishes, real seasonable gifts; for all the good things he
wished were realized. To give but one example. Writ-
ing to business people in Contich, Father Paul said,
"I wish you the payment of all bills outstanding. "
These people had, in fact, debtors of long standing, but
had given up all hope of ever receiving payment. How-
ever, soon after receiving the good wishes of Father
Paul, the old debts were unexpectedly paid.

A religious was preaching a retreat at Thielt, and
a servant girl had been present at the opening sermon
in which the preacher said that the souls going to
heaven were as few in number as the leaves that remain
on the trees in winter. This remark caused so great a
displeasure to the woman that she stayed away from the
rest of the sermons. When she mentioned this occur-
rence later on to Father Paul, he said,

"You did right, for in making such a statement
the preacher outraged the infinite goodness of God."

Father Paul was an excellent patron of the post
office. The number of letters which he answered is in-
credible. There are many friends of the Rev. Father
who have saved three, four or five hundred of his let-
ters. Generally, a letter of the Rev. Father contained
from twenty to thirty small lines written in a style as
concise as it was familiar. He made use of odds and
ends of all kind of paper, seldom using an entire letter

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254 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

sheet, and wrote standing; or, as he himself once told
the sisters in a convent, he would kneel on the floor on
one knee and write upon the other. . .

A friend seeing him overwhelmed with business,
offered to act as his secretary.

"impossible !" Father Paul replied, "it is a ques-
tion here of heavenly affairs."

A young man who wished to marry a Parisian,
asked Father Paul if he considered her a suitable choice
from a religious and moral point of view. The Father
replied, "T* is eerste klasse voor Parijs." "it is first
class for Paris. "

A young man besought Father Paul to tell him who
the person was that he ought to marry. "The good
God never tells that beforehand, " he replied.

A rich young lady was praised very much for her
great devotion to good works. Father Paul simply re-
marked, "Zy moet wel !" "it is her duty !"

It was one of the dearest wishes of the good and
saintly Father Paul to crown the series of his works by
the foundation of a beautiful Abbey at Antwerp. All
the necessary means had been abundantly provided,
and his numerous friends of that wealthy commercial
metropolis hoped to see him soon establish his residence
in their midst; they already calculated the immense
good which the presence of the celebrated Benedictine

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255

would procure for their city. But a determined oppo-
sition on the part of the secular clergy caused the fail-
ure of that beautiful project. Father Paul resigned
himself with humility, although, as he himself said, he
could have overthrown all opposition by one word.

As a matter of fact; speaking of this project to his
friends from Antwerp, the Rev. Father told them that
all he needed to do, was to apply directly to the Pope,
Leo XIII. He added :—

"l know His Holiness, and he knows me. . . . The
Pope is a saint."

Speaking once, in detail, of facts referring to the
first centuries of the Christian era, and wishing to im-
press upon his hearers how he came to know these facts,
Father Paul said, "This is not difficult; for God, there
is neither past or future, everything is present to Him."

Father Paul generally declined to answer useless
requests or those that were too worldly. He related
one day that he received a letter from America with a
request for prayers that the writer might win a big prize
in a lottery. The letter remained unanswered.

Father Paul said to a friend from Oostcamp, "it
has never happened to me that I prayed for a recruit
who recommended himself to me, without having ob-
tained for him freedom from military service."

A friend wrote to the Rev. Father asking him to

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256 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

obtain a good number for a recruit. Father Paul replied
that the person must himself ask him for it.

But sometimes a request made through a third
party was favorably received.

Speaking of France, Father Paul said that this
country was going to be purified by great chastisements.
In Flemish, "Dat nest moet gezuiverd worden."

Speaking of the end of the world, Father Paul said,
"l think that our Lord came to redeem mankind in the
middle of time."

If this opinion is prophetic, the world would yet
exist for about two thousand years.

In his prophecies which have already been fulfilled,
Father Paul most frequently employed this expression
"l think that.. .."

"The Bible," Father Paul said, "contains no error,
but. . .men know nothing."

To preachers he said, "it is necessary to return
to the simplicity of the Gospel."

"There are no two angels alike in heaven. How
great then must the power of God be to have been able
to create, in a single instant, these innumerable legions
of heavenly spirits !"

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SOME OF HIS SAYINGS.

257

In Antwerp, Father Paul said of a young girl who
was recommended to him in her sickness, "i can do
nothing for her because she consults a fortune-teller. "

As Father Paul was once quizzed about the lament-
able state of his old hat, he remarked with a smile, "i
put up with this one, in order to have a fine one in the
other world."

During a visit paid by Father Paul to some good
friends of his, a young man inadvertently overturned a
beautiful porcelain vase which broke into a hundred
pieces. At the very moment Father Paul said to the
young man in a low voice, "Ask now that the vase be
restored to its former state."

But as the attention of the young man was turned
elsewhere he neglected the Father's obliging invitation.
Later on, when they recalled the words of the good
religious, they regretted very much not to have seized
the occasion of seeing the performance of a miracle.

A young lady visiting Father Paul was invited by
him to go to the church, saying that she would see our
Lord in person in the sacred host which was exposed.
But as she did not take his suggestion seriously, she
replied that she had no need of seeing such a wonder,
in order to believe in the Real Presence.

"Very well," Father Paul said, "Your faith causes
me great joy."

After the death of the Rev. Father, this young

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LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

lady, hearing of the great number of persons who had
received a like invitation from Father Paul and had
actually seen our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, cried
out with most keen regret, "Oh ! if I had only known !"

"When I distribute Holy Communion," Father
Paul said to a friend from Oostcamp, "it is the Infant
Jesus in person, that I see in the host."

On the day of his death, Father Paul, literally
exhausted, was hardly able to reply by a feeble sign to
the questions that were put to him.

A lay-brother said to him, "When you are in
heaven, ask that I may join you soon." Making a
supreme effort, the good Father found strength enough
to reply slowly, "You cannot demand such a thing."

"But at least," the lay-brother said, "Will you
demand that I may be near you in heaven ?"

"Yes."

Father Paul once said, "I have been persecuted
during my life. .. and I will still be persecuted after
mv death !"

"We must not want to penetrate the mysteries of
religion, because that awakens pride. The bad angels
did so, and they ended by saying: "We shall be like
unto the Most High !"

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PART THIRD.

LETTERS OF FATHER PAUL.

Preliminary Remarks by the Author.

We have shown how very busy the Rev. Father
Paul was. From morning till night he received a crowd
of visitors, or went to visit those who called for his
assistance. He heard confessions sometimes until
eleven o'clock at night, and as he could not neglect the
divine office, nor the many prayers which he had prom-
ised to his wards, one asked where he found time for
his voluminous correspondence : every day he answered
about thirty letters ! Did he sacrifice his night's rest
for that purpose ? It is probable.

There is likewise a very great number of souvenirs
or pious pictures, on the back of which he had written
in Flemish charming verses, nearly all treating of the
love of God. Father Paul, a born poet, wrote verses
with the most astonishing facility. There exist a few
pious treatises which he had printed, also some manu-
scripts treating of the love of God, which he perhaps
intended to publish.

Father Paul has truly been called the singer of divine
love. In his conversations, his letters, his sermons,
everywhere he drew attention to the love of God. This
divine love with which his heart was inflamed seems to
have dictated the following letters, addressed to one
of his penitents, an ecstatic.

259

260

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

With Love for Jesus!

DEAREST SISTER IN JESUS CHRIST,

I have not been able to

reply sooner to your New Year's greetings. I also wish
you a happy and salutary New Year, a year of love, a
heart of love; let all your actions be love; all your
words, love; all your thoughts, love; all your sensations,
love; all that you see, love; all that you hear, love; all
that you desire, love of God.

O love ! O infinite love ! Yes, I may well say so,
for the love of God is a boundless ocean of love, one
drop of which is sufficient to set man's heart on fire
with love.

May I not then say, O love ! O infinite love ? The
love of God for man is so great that God forgets, so to
say, His infinite justice, in order to be able to show His
infinite love.

May I not then say, O love ! O infinite love ? A
mother knows how dearly she loves her children, but
what is the love of a mother in comparsion with the
love of God for us ? Less than nothing.

May I not then say, O love ! O infinite love ?
Before man was created, God already loved him with
so tender a love that he said, I will give him My flesh,

Most of Father Paul's letters are headed and closed by a pious
expression of love for Jesus. In the original Flemish we find these
words at the head of the letters : "Uyt liefde tot Jesus," the French
equivalent of which is "Par amour pour Jesus," in English literally
''''With love for Jesus." At the end of these letters he writes in
Flemish, "Uyt liefde van Jesus," French, "Par amour de Jesus,"
which in literal English means, "With love from Jesus.''1 In the
English pamphlet this distinction has been overlooked; we prefer the
literal translation. Translator's Note.

SOME OF HIS LETTERS.

26l

My blood, My divinity; I shall dwell in Him with all
My perfections, for love of him.

May I not say then, O love ! O infinite love ? O
my God ! O God of infinite love, I thank Thee and I
ask of Thee that I may be able to love Thee ever more
and more; that I may be able to love Thee with a burn-*
ing love !

I have not been able to reply sooner: so many
letters are waiting for an answer. Do everything for
the love of God; say, "Everything that I shall do this
year, O my God, I shall do for love of Thee I"

In your sufferings, no matter how great they may
be, do not complain so long as you are able to love.

0 God of infinite love ! give me a heart of love !
I shall ask it for you.

1 pray much for you that you may become more
and more inflamed with the love of God.

Here is my name : Praised be Jesus Christ !

DEAREST SISTER IN JESUS CHRIST,

O God, behold my heart in desolation,
Bereft of love, it is in bitterness;
My heart so steeped in sadness and dejection,
Fulfil its longing by the gift of love divine.

One sigh of love is of more value than the whole
world, so that for one sigh of the love of God you may
renounce the friendship, the honor, the glory and the

With love for Thee, Jesus.

With Love for Jesus!

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LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

riches of the world. Therefore, never be sad if I do
not write to you or speak to you of love; give one sigh
of love for God, and think that you then possess more
than all the world can give you. If you suffer, think
that God, who is infinite love, wills it, and say, O love !
O infinite love !

Live alone with God, that is to say, live apart from
the world, but near to God; reveal to no person the
intimate sentiments of your heart, only to God alone,
and show Him how your heart sighs for His love. Be
hidden to men, after the example of the saints. I shall
ask for you much love. Always recall to yourself the
presence of God, burning with a love greater than the
ocean; be convinced that he desires ceaselessly to
communicate to you His love, His burning love, in
order that you, also, inflamed with love, be transformed
into His love. Desire as much as possible to love God
more and more. God imparts His love sometimes in
peace, and sometimes also in misfortunes or in suffer-
ings; we must praise and thank God for all He does,
whether it be pleasing to us or not.

Thank God that He has made known to you His
love, yes, that you are able to possess that love, that
you are a child of the love of God.

Be so good as to ask love for me, I shall also de-
mand the love of God for you.

With love for Jesus, I am. . .

You may write to me always, I shall reply to you
by a short or a long letter, according as it may be
possible for me.

(We have rarely seen Father Paul's letters dated.)

O love ! O infinite love of God !

SOME OF HIS LETTERS.

263

With Love for Jesus!

SISTER IN JESUS CHRIST,

How astonishing is God in His infi-
nite love ! We ought to cry out ceaselessly with the
greatest enthusiasm, with all our force, with our whole
soul, O love ! O infinite love ! O astonishing love of
God!

When the most beautiful angels contemplate the
sanctity of God, they sing with one voice and with the
greatest astonishment, Holy ! Holy ! Holy ! is the God
of all eternity ! And, at sight of that astonishing love,
they cry out in the same manner three times, O infinite
and eternal love of God !

A great number of the children of love, see Jesus
in the Holy Sacrament. They have seen Him first in
Antwerp. They see our Lord in the great host exposed
at the benediction, and they see Him differently at the
same time; as a shepherd carrying a lamb on His shoul-
ders or in His arms; in His passion, bleeding; or in the
form of a white dove.

As for myself I have seen Him, Oh ! I do not know
how. M. J. has seen Him often already, under different
forms, and she is in ecstasy over it.

They see Jesus distinctly in such a manner that
there can be no doubt.

M. J. and two other young ladies have seen the
same prodigy in Eecloo.

Several persons from Watervliet went to Eecloo last
week, but have seen nothing.

With love from Jesus.

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264

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

With Love for Jesus!

Sister in Jesus Christ,

I prostrate before the infinite love
of Jesus, imploring an ocean of love for God. I am
sad, God alone with His love can console me.

The fear of not going to heaven, you must consider
as a suggestion of the devil. You complain that no one
speaks to you of the love of God and you even dare
almost to complain that I do not write to you of the
love of Jesus.

Few persons have had the great happiness that you
have had in being instructed in the love of Jesus. You
are like those who have made their studies to become a
priest, lawyer, or doctor, they know enough in order
to follow their profession. Thus I have taught you of
the love of God all that is necessary, in order to advance
unceasingly in love.

The devil will do all in his power in order to turn
you aside from the love of Jesus. Mary, the Mother
of beautiful love, will defend you, all the saints will
help you, and I shall pray for you in order that you
may always remain a child of love, and make great
progress in the love of Jesus.

With love from Jesus,

Your humble servant,
D. P.

With Love for Jesus!

Dearest Penitent,

O love ! O infinite love of Jesus ! O excess
of love ! When shall I be able to love Thee enough,
when shall my will be inflamed with love for Thee, O

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SOME OF HIS LETTERS.

265

boundless ocean of love ? When shall all my desires be
desires of love, so that I may be able to love Thee and
to love nothing else but Thee and Thee alone, O my
God, O infinite love? I shall seek until I shall find
Thee, I shall knock until Thou shalt open for me, I
shall pray until Thou shalt give me an ardent love and
shalt suppress in me all other sentiments.

Love surpasses incomparably, both in value and in
beauty, all satisfaction. God, by His nature, is infinite
love, and it is with this infinite love that He loves man
so much.

To understand, or, at least, to get an idea of His
infinite love, think of His infinite perfections. If you
wish to have an idea of the love with which He loves
man, see with what love God loves Mary.

He has given so much to Mary that she is called
the Mother of beautiful love. This great love was
granted to her as Mother of God. Mary being truly
our Mother, how could God love our Mother so much
without loving her children? If God reserved that
ardent and great love for Mary, our Mother, this love
would not be fully agreeable to her because Mary, as
Mother, would not be happy to see that her children
did not share that true happiness. What does a mother
desire, if not to see her children share her happiness ?
God Himself, the infinite Love, has not thought differ-
ently, for see what an incomprehensible love He has
for the children of Mary !

Is it not for the children of Mary that Jesus suffered
so much ? It was in order to prove His love for the
children of Mary. Jesus did not suffer for Mary, for
she never was guilty in the eyes of God, she never had

266

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

to render an account; but, through sin, her children
have made themselves culpable before God, and it was
in order to satisfy for sin that Jesus came. But Jesus
has done much more than was necessary : all that He
suffered more, He endured for the love of man in order
to prove to him His love.

Every time you see a crucifix you may say, O ex-
cess of love ! Every time Jesus scourged comes into
your mind you may say, O love ! O infinite love ! When
you see Jesus carrying the cross you may say, O excess
of the infinite love of Jesus ! God has given so much
love to Mary that she is called with reason the Mother
of beautiful love, and all the children of Mary are equal-
ly children of beautiful love, and those who are not,
have rejected that right through sin. That right lost
can be restored through the infinite merits of Jesus,
merits which He has acquired for us in His love for us.

When then you see Jesus in His passion, you see
Him at the same time in His excess of love. Often
contemplate Jesus enduring outrages, humiliations,
mockeries, derision, and say, O love ! O infinite love
of Jesus ! When you think of the Most Holy Sacra-
ment, when you receive Jesus or when you make spiritual
communions, or when you adore Jesus, you may say,
O infinite love of Jesus !

Have an ardent desire to be a child of the love
of Jesus. The love of Jesus is a great treasure beyond
comparison.

I wish you a good and happy year, a year of love,
so that you, also, may be a child of beautiful love as
your Mother Mary is the Mother of beautiful love.

With love from Jesus.

SOME OF HIS LETTERS.

267

With Love for Thee, Jesus!

Dearest Sister in Jesus Christ,

I should wish to write you

a long letter, but I have no time; I must preach the
Lenten sermons, preach at the Masses and teach cate-
chism to the children.

0 love ! O infinite love of Jesus ! I give Thee my
heart, to Thee alone, not once, but throughout eternity.

On the days when you have but little or no love,
do not murmur against Jesus, do not speak to anybody
of it; you can tell it to me. In heaven you will be able
to live without being separated from the love of Jesus,
but not so on earth. Only say, O Jesus of infinite
love ! I feel, or, I have no love, but be it according to
Your desire, I accept it for love of You and in the hope
that You will grant me more. See, however, I experience
the hunger and thirst for Your love, I long for You as
the fish longs for the water out of which it has been
taken; You cannot nor would You abandon me, You
only wish to try me; You act very well, but do not
make me languish without Your love; I make the reso-
lution never to love anything but You.

1 ought to tell you yet much on the subject of poor
sinners, who do not know God or who do not love
Him; I must yet very much exhort you to praise and
thank God, but I have no time.

During the time of Lent often take into your hand
the chalice of bitterness. O love ! O infinite love,
would that you could set on fire all hearts !

268

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

With Love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus !

Dearest Penitent,

O love ! O excess of the love of Jesus ! I

give Thee my heart, to Thee alone, not once, but
always, unto eternity, and with sov great a love as no
person ever has done. The excess of the love of God
is not contained within the infinite perfections of God,
but that love is found wherever it is possible. It is
found in the souls in purgatory, it is found upon earth.
I cannot say that upon earth, it is less brilliant than in
purgatory, for can we see that love more clearly than in
the Holy Sacrament of infinite love, and in the passion
of Jesus ?

Jesus allowed Himself to be so horribly scourged
as thereby to become unrecognizable. Jesus, so beau-
tiful, behold how disfigured He with blood and wounds
is now, so that one cannot recognize Him except by
His love : to those who did not know His love He
became completely unrecognizable.

In purgatory, His infinite love is known, although
the souls are not as yet fully satiated with it ; but in
heaven, they will be eternally filled with it; love will
satiate them in a manner incomprehensible. There the
souls see the infinite grandeur of God; unceasingly they
see and receive continual effusions of love, resembling
the torrents of a boundless ocean of love.

The grandeur of God is incomprehensible, and it
is as if He were great and powerful only to show His
love, to bestow love and to receive the love of man in
order to unite Himself always with man through love.

What is the Holy Sacrament of love if not a union

SOME OF HIS LETTERS.

269

of the love of God with man ? Therefore it is that I
encourage all children of love to the constant practice
of spiritual communion and sighs of love. They unite
us equally to God through love, much less, it is true,
than real Communion, but yet they help to receive Jesus
with so much greater love in Holy Communion.

I desire most ardently that this love may be known
by the hearts of all men that they may be inflamed with
love for God. The incomprehensible and burning love
of God continually fills man, that God may reign in
his heart; but mortal sins constantly push back that
love. God Himself says, "l do not want the death of
sinners, but I want them to live that I may love them,
and be united with them through love."

Those who are in the state of grace, but do not
know His love, God loves with an incomprehensible
love because God loves everything that is good; but
we shall never understand the love that God bears
towards His children of love, and how much He desires
to unite Himself with them by love.

It is on account of this love for man that Jesus had
the will to suffer, with great patience, all outrages, con-
tempt, and pain. With what satisfaction can we not
suffer, and desire to suffer to show our love for Jesus !

If it is given you to take part in the love of Jesus,
then take part, also, in His dolorous passion. If Jesus
often comes to console you with His sweet love, take
likewise and joyfully your part of pity for Jesus in His
excess of suffering, as was done by the sorrowing
women.

How can one contemplate Jesus in the excess of
His suffering, for the love of man, without being

270 LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

touched and saying, "i want to give my love to Jesus !"

I recommend to you again the devotion to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus. O Sacred Heart of Jesus ! O
Sacred Heart of Jesus ! O ocean of love !

I do not know as yet if the love for Jesus will make
me depart from here. * I shall demand for you love
for Jesus.

With love from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, I am
your humble servant in Jesus,

D. P. relig.
With Love for Jesus!

Dearest Sister,

O love ! O infinite love of God for
man ! How astonishing God is in the love with which
He loves man ! For all that you see He has made in
His infinite love. Look at the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
and you will hear Jesus tell you, "Behold the heart
that has loved men so much." Look at the Most Holy
Sacrament. What is the Most Holy Sacrament? It
is an excess of love. Look at the holy Face, that holy
Face says to you, "O love ! O infinite love of Jesus !"
Look at Jesus crucified, and must you not cry out, "O
love ! O infinite love of Jesus ! Is it possible, that love
can go so far ?"

Was His love held up by the cross ? Ah, no, this
Jesus with His Sacred Heart, and in the Most Holy
Sacrament and crucified, went to heaven. There He
is seated upon a throne of infinite glory; from there, He

*This letter was written by the Rev. Father near the end of
his stay at Steenbrugge.

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SOME OF HIS LETTERS.

271

pours forth His infinite love into all the hearts open to
His love. Every sigh of love, every desire of love is a
new opening of your heart, allowing the love of God to
penetrate.

Unite yourself to God through love, and rejoice in
such great happiness; thank God for this great benefit,
and be so much the more ardent in the love of God.

I am overburdened with work, it happens some-
times that I am unable to write more, do not expect it
of me.

With love from Jesus, I am

man ! One word escapes from my lips and plunges me
into the greatest astonishment, O love ! O . . .

It is not given to any man to tell what the infinite
love of God is, not even to make any comparison of
it. All that can be said about it is still nothing.

Imagine all the love of one hundred thousand
mothers for their children. It is nothing in comparison
with the infinite love of God. One may say that a
drop of water is a portion of the ocean; but all the love
we can imagine cannot give us an idea of the least part
of the love of God for man.

I wish you would allow me never to say more
than, O love ! O infinite love of God ! I can hardly
say anything more or anything better, for these words
contain all that is necessary to induce us never to do

With Love for Jesus!

Sister in Jesus Christ,

O love ! O infinite love of God for

272

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

anything except for the love of God; they are sufficient
to satiate us with the love of God, and make us desire
Him more and more.

When meditation becomes impossible for you,
think of the love of God.

God, the saints and the souls in purgatory are my
sole occupation.

Pray for me and the souls in purgatory, I will
pray for you.

you that nothing occupies my heart more than the love
of God. I wish to love the God of most tender and
amiable love, and I cannot desire or wish anything better
to others, yes, to all persons of the world.

For this reason the devil persecutes me much and,
as happens very often in a similar case, the instruments
of which he makes use are the very ones who owe me
the greatest gratitude, thus rendering the humiliation
still more painful.

I thank you for your good wishes. I wish you like-
wise a beautiful and happy year, a year of love; for that
end I recommend to you three inexhaustible sources
of love : —

1. The Most Holy Sacrament.

2. The sorrowful passion of Jesus Christ.

3. The Sacred Heart of Jesus, there to establish

With love from Jesus,

D. Paul, relig.

With Love for Jesus!

Sister in Jesus Christ,

With the grace of God, I must tell

SOME OF HIS LETTERS.

273

your dwelling and nourish yourself with the infinite
love of God.

Your humble servant,

O love ! O infinite love of God !

times, O love ! O infinite love of God for man ! For
God is infinite love, and to man alone He has given a
heart of love in order to love God and be loved of Him.
For this reason we ought to have a high regard for all
men; if they are not already children of love, they may
become so.

This obliges me to give an impressive notice to all
the children of love; be prudent, for not every one is as
yet a child of love, nor does every one understand what
it is to be a child of love.

For this reason the impossible will be attempted to
hinder the children of love from going where they can
nourish themselves with love. Alas ! if one knew the
love of God, one would not act contrary to it. It is
my duty to cry out : Do not go to such and such a
place, for love is in danger there. Help me to nourish
the children of love; if they say or clo anything against
you, pass on and say, What does it matter ? It is a
child of love.

With Love for Jesus!

Sister in Jesus Christ,

Cry out and repeat a thousand

With love from Jesus, I am,

D. Paul, relig.
18

274

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

With Love for Jesus!

Dearest Sister in Jesus Christ,

For the love of Thee, Jesus, I

demand of Thee, I pray Thee, I beseech Thee to inspire
me in this writing; give me to know Thy holy will. O
love ! O infinite love ! I give Thee my heart, to Thee
alone, not once, but continually and for eternity. We
shall never be able to proclaim nor admire worthily the
infinite goodness of God. God is infinitely great and
has an incomprehensible love for miserable man, so
inclined to evil and so indifferent towards God. When
a man, the greatest enemy of God, truly contrite, asks
pardon of God by going to confession, the love of God
is so great that He gives Himself at once, soul, body,
and divinity, and wants to love that man, love him
always more and more. No matter how miserable he
may be, provided he is no longer in the state of mortal
sin, God loves him with an incomprehensible love.

How can one despise or not love one whom God
loves so tenderly, so paternally ? What a great crime
to do evil to one whom God loves so much ?

Why is there more joy in heaven over one sinner
who does penance than over ninety-nine just? Because
in heaven they see the joy which the fact of being able
to love that man once more, procures for the heart of
the infinite love of God.

The heavenly spirits are absorbed in the abyss of
the infinite love of God, and they see much better than
we are able to understand, what an inexpressible joy it
is for the infinite love of God to be able to love again
a man who, by mortal sin had rejected the love of God.

What can there be more agreeable to the heart of

SOME OF HIS LETTERS.

275

the infinite love of God than to pray for the conversion
of those who are in the state of mortal sin ? To be a
child of love, is to sacrifice oneself to the love of God
for the conversion of sinners.

I rejoice at the one word, the conversion of
sinners ! If we had to pray hundreds of years in
order to have a man brought back to the love of God,
we would have reason enough to rejoice on account of it.

God demands now that you be and remain a true
child of love, and that your love grow greater unceas-
ingly. Ask God that all your actions, from the begin-
ning of your existence, be actions of love for God,
performed in union with the sorrowful passion of Jesus.

O Jesus ! my Well-beloved, do You permit Yourself
to be ill-treated so frightfully ? Is it to give proofs of
Your love ? O Jesus ! You have already given sufficient
proofs; no person can ever say that You have not given
enough pledges of Your love. O Jesus ! grant me the
joy of being able to prevent You being ill-treated so
much.

0 holy blood ! O blood of love ! would that I
could imitate Thee !

1 had no time to answer you sooner.

With Love lor Jesus!

Dearest Sister in Jesus Christ,

O love ! O infinite love of
my God ! O love without beginning and without end,
how great you are, how sweet, how agreeable !

With love from Jesus, I am. . .

Praised be Jesus Christ !

276

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

O love of my God ! You are great, because you
are infinite; you are sweet, because whoever has tasted
you is famished with love. The more one has of it,
the more one desires; always more and more inflamed
with love; never satiated with love; for the more one
tastes of it, the sweeter it is, the more intense is the
desire for love, the ardent love for God.

Love is agreeable, for from the moment one knows
it, one can scarcely love anything else but the love of
God. Therefore, St. Augustine has said, * Lord God,
if I had known Thee sooner, I would have loved Thee
sooner." Love is so agreeable that whoever knows the
love of God, scarcely loves anything but that agreeable
love. Why should it not be agreeable to the heart of
man, since God Himself has said, / shall be all things
to you, that is to say, all the good we can imagine to
ourselves, such as all sweetness, all harmony.

Does not a son enjoy the riches of a good father ?
How agreeable it is for a child to enjoy with his father
his great riches ! Which are the riches of God ? They
are His infinite perfections, and the ability to be loved
by an infinite love, and to be able to love.

So then, when you have some love for God, you
may esteem yourself happy on account of it, according
to the degree of your love for God, and in that case,
you may consider all other things as nothing, such as
riches and pleasures, persecution and sufferings, out-
rages and contempt; and suffer all, because then you
have a chance to prove your love for Jesus.

It is easy to show one's love for Jesus in prosperity
and good fortune; but to show a beautiful love in bit-
terness . . . With you it is not as with many others who

SOME OF HIS* LETTERS.

277

seem to have much love as long as everything turns out
according to their wishes, but whose love is all eclipsed
in the time of adversity.

From the moment a man knows God, his first
action is to love Him, to give Him his love, and that
need of loving is so much the greater the better he
knows his God.

Never shall one know God well, so long as one is
attached to men and the world : we must not attach
ourselves to them except in so far as they lead us to the
knowledge and love of God.

If Adam had not sinned, love would be the sole
desire of man; but sins have diminished and obscured
in man his desire for the love of God. We may revive
that desire by prayer, by ardent and earnest prayer, by
detachment, by a perfect life, and thus arrive at ardent
love for God.

Hence, never become discouraged if it costs you
much to have a little of the love of God; for one sigh
of love is of more value than all that the world can
procure.

God is impenetrable, His wisdom is infinite. Jesus
has shown His love for us by incomparable sufferings.
It is the divine will that we show our love for God
throughout everything and in everything, but especially
in our sufferings.

With love from Jesus.

Extracts from Letters.

Addressed by the Rev. Father Paul to
a lady of Audenarde.

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LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

In suffering one recognizes true love. One suffers,
but it is for the love of Jesus.

An act of love for God in suffering causes the aston-
ishment of the angels; an act of love for God in suffer-
ing is formidable to the demon; an act of love for God
in suffering will shine in heaven for all eternity.

If one could understand the value of an act of love
for God in suffering, one would experience the greatest
grief at being obliged to pass a single moment without
being able to make this meritorious act. Happy is he
who, in suffering, makes acts of love !

Madam, I recommend you to the Sacred Heart of
Jesus, you and your whole family. Often say with de-
votion: O Sacred Heart of Jesus of infinite love and
mercy without end, give me a heart of love, and give
Thy grace to poor sinners, that they may be enabled to
know Thee and love Thee.

I shall commence a novena for you on Wednesday,
and from now on, I shall give you my blessing twice a
day, at half past five in the morning and towards eight
in the evening. You may always write to me, without
fear of troubling me.

God* is infinitely good and wise. He shows His
goodness towards you by sending you crosses. The
more bitter your pains, the more meritorious they are.

Every cross is a blessing from heaven, a blessing
which surpasses all the happiness of the world. If one
were able to understand the full value of crosses, it
would be a terrible torment to be deprived of them.

I shall pray that God may make you know the

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279

value of crosses, so that you may appreciate them all
the more, and I shall demand for you great patience.
Suffer everything, henceforth, in thanksgiving for this
special grace. In heaven you will see how true is all
that I tell you.

I wish you particularly the grace to see what God
is in His infinitive love, in order to love Him with your
whole heart, during your whole life, and to be hereafter
united with Him for all eternity. We cannot compre-
hend how much God loves us, and all that He does to
show His great love to men: but we comprehend still
less what He will do in heaven for His children of love.

If it were given you to see one little ray of His great
love, you would never be able to say anything else but,
"O love ! O infinite, O beautiful love of God !"

God does not demand of you, in order to be a child
of love, that you should do more than you are able to
do, but all He says to you is, ' 'My child give me your
heart !" And I add thereto, "Do everything for love of
Jesus."

Often say, before all your work, "For love of Thee,
Jesus." Often think of the love of God, and principally
of three things wherein He has shown His great love,
in the Most Holy Sacrament, in His sorrowful passion,
and in His Sacred Heart.

When you communicate, recall His great love, then
unite yourself with God through love, give your heart

Extracts from Letters of the Rev. Father Paul.

To a member of his family.

28o

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

to God, demand a heart that will love Him always more
and more; above all think of the sorrowful passion of
Jesus, principally on Friday; and when you have to
suffer anything, consider with what love He has suffered,
that you also may suffer everything for the love of Jesus
in His Sacred Heart, the source of infinite love.

At my next visit we shall again talk of the infinite
love of God. Love to go to Holy Communion and
often make spiritual communions. Never attach your-
self to the world, but flee from it . . .

The love which God devotes to man, and that with
which he is loved ought to be considered the greatest
treasure He can give us. In order to understand this,
it would be necessay for us to be able to know God, a
thing impossible, because God is infinitely perfect. It
is the same with regard to His love, the more you were
to consider the love of God, the more you would have
to say, "O love ! O infinite love of God !"

Unite yourself often with God through love, at
your morning and evening prayer, and say, I shall do
everything for the love of God that all my actions may
be acts of love. Ask for that love through the inter-
cession of Mary. Suffer and endure everything for the
love of Jesus, as Jesus has suffered everything for love
of us.

I wish you an ardent love for God, it is the richest
and most beautiful treasure you can wish or desire.
All other treasures will disappear like smoke; but the
treasure of love shall remain forever in heaven.

Ask God for this- beautiful treasure, for it must

SOME OF HIS LETTERS.

28l

come from Him; men cannot procure it for you. For
this reason often ask God for a heart of love that you
may love Him ever more and more, and like a child
of love. Add to your morning and evening prayers,
"All that I shall do today, or tonight, I shall do for
the love of God, so that all my actions may be actions
of love. I unite myself today, or tonight, with all the
acts of love made to God, both in heaven and on earth."
Say quite often during the day, when you commence to
do something, were it only moving a chair, opening or
shutting a door, or any other action, "For love of Thee,
Jesus."

When you have to suffer anything say, "i want to
suffer it for the love of Jesus, just as Jesus has suffered
all for love of me."

Have a great devotion to the Most Holy Sacrament
of love. Communicate as often as you can, and never
say, "I am not worthy to do so !" Nobody is sufficient-
ly worthy of it, but the great love of God calls you.
Often have a desire of receiving Jesus.

Devotion to the sorrowful passion of Jesus.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Everywhere we can find the great love of God, at
home, in the fields, in the street, in the convents, in
good health, in sickness, in adversity, in poverty, every-
where except in the riches, the honor, the glory and
the pleasures of the world.

I shall ask for you also a share of the love of God.

Pray much for the souls in purgatory.

282

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

Other Extracts from Letters of the Rev. Father Paul.

The love of God is my desire, my riches, my joy,
and my best food, yes, all !

O God of infinite love ! Give me two wings to fly
towards Thee, that I may rest in Thee and be satiated
with Thy beautiful love; a wing of love, to draw me
without ceasing toward Thy beautiful love, and a wing
of confidence in order to help me to perform all my
actions, all my steps, all my prayers for the love of
God.

Who shall ever be able to understand the love, in-
finitely great, wherewith Thou, O God, lovest man !
We should wish to express, to describe that love; one
word only escapes our powerless lips: O love! O infinite
love of God ! O sweet love, sweeter than honey ! O
ocean of love ! inflame my heart with the sacred fire of
Thy holy love !

O love ! O infinite love of Jesus ! O Jesus give me
a mouth of love so as to entertain all men with Thy
infinite love ! Give me a heart of love so that nothing
else may come forth from it but for Thy beautiful love.
Give me eyes of love that I may see nothing else but
Thy love in all things, even in my sufferings and in
everything that goes against me. Give me a taste of
love, that I may taste Thy love in everything I eat and
drink. Give me hands of love that I may write of Thy
beautiful love to all the children of love. Give me feet
of love that I may go and entertain those who suffer,
with Thy beautiful love and Thy ignominious and pain-

My name is

Love.

SOME OF HIS LETTERS.

283

ful death, so that they may not complain any longer of
their crosses.

0 love ! O infinite love of God ! Thy love, O my
God, is my nourishment, my treasure, my consolation,
my life ! I do not need any one but those who speak
to me of Thy beautiful love. O love of Jesus I Thou
art my consolation, my all. Nothing against Thee,
everything for Thee !

O love ! O infinite love of Jesus !

Thus my name is written.

1 offer up this day (or this night) for the greater
glory of God. Everything that I shall do today (or
tonight) I shall do for the love of God, that all my
actions may be acts of love.

I unite myself today (or tonight) with all the acts
of praise and thanksgiving that are elicited in heaven
and on earth.

I unite myself with all the acts of lbve that are
made by the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

I unite myself with all the sentiments of pity that
ever have been felt and ever will be felt for Jesus in His
pains. I make the intention of saying each time when
God or His holy name is blasphemed: "My God, be
Thou praised and blessed forever and ever ! Thy holy
name be praised and blessed forever and ever !"

I consign myself today (or tonight), body and
soul, into Thy hands.

I unite myself with all the acts of adoration and
love that are made in the Most Holy Sacrament of
infinite love.

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284

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

During the day make frequent spiritual commun-
ions, when entering or leaving the church, when retiring
and in other circumstances.

Unite yourself often with God by ejaculatory pray-
ers, and elevate your heart to God. Think often of
the passion of Jesus, and suffer everything for the love
of Jesus, the same as Jesus suffered everything through
love for you.

As often as I shall recite seven Our Fathers and
seven Hail Marys, I resolve to say, "in honor of the
drops of blood shed for us by Jesus ! and to obtain the
graces which Jesus has attached thereto, and to com-
plete the number thereof."

When going out I say at the door, "Through love
for Thee, Jesus !" And when I am alone I recite five
Our Fathers and five Hail Marys for the conversion of
sinners, and the six Our Fathers, six Hail Marys and
six Glory be to the Father etc., connected with the blue
scapular, and I consign the indulgences into the hands
of Mary.

O love ! O infinite love of God ! How astonishing,
beautiful and amiable is God in His love ! O God of
infinite love ! I ask Thee for the grace to be able to
write to Mathilde of Thy love.

Exclaim then anew with myself and with all the
children of love, and also with Sister Luitgarde, "O
love ! O infinite love of God ! Give me a heart to love

Letter of Rev. Father Paul.

To a working woman of Thielt.

SOME OF HIS LETTERS.

285

Thee, O my God ! and to love Thee with an immense
love."

A sigh of love for God, brought forth with devotion,
is of more value than the whole world; the world will
perish completely, but the sigh of love for God is for
eternity. If it were given you to heave, with devotion,
but one sigh of love for God in your whole life, you
would still be obliged to say, "An eternity even were
too short to thank God for it sufficiently. "

Offer your sufferings to God for the love of Jesus,
as Jesus has suffered all for the love of us.

I hope you will not die yet; but if God wills it, die
with love for Jesus, the same as Jesus has died with
love for us: be then without fear.

You are still able to say, "i want to suffer every-
thing for the love of Jesus, as Jesus has suffered every-
thing for love of us, in order to obtain the pardon and
expiation of my sins, and to be able, at once after my
death, to unite myself with Jesus through love and for
all eternity."

Sister Luitgarde may read this letter and I will have
her admitted among the children of the beautiful love
of Jesus.

With love from Jesus,
D. Paul relig.

A Few Recent Favors Obtained through the
Intercession of Father Paul.

San Antonio, Tex. The St. Benedict's Medal
that had touched Father PauPs relic and which you sent to
the sick lady, has done wonderful work here; but the
good lady had to part with it, to save the life of a dying
man, who had not approached the sacraments since he
made his first Holy Communion. After it was placed
on his neck and dipped into water for him to bathe in,
he immediately became better. There was a lady here
who had not been to confession or Mass for twenty
years. Some one gave her a St. Benedict's Medal to
put on last Tuesday and on Saturday she went to con-
fession.

Ohio. A priest writes : Father Paul's life is one
of the most interesting lives I ever read. Through his
intercession I have received some marked favors recent-
ly. The devotion to St. Benedict and Father Paul is
rapidly increasing in this parish. Spiritual and tem-
poral favors have been granted through their interces-
sion. A wonderful, religious spirit is manifesting itself
all about the parish. I have received great blessings
through the intercession of Father Paul during the past
year and I wish to show my gratitude by distributing a
few copies of his life.

Mt. Vernon, Ohio. A Protestant lady came to
me two weeks ago. She had a large, angry looking
lump on the upper eyelid. I told her to go to the doc-

286

A FEW RECENT FAVORS.

287

tor at once; but she did not like the idea. So I said :
I will give you a Medal of St. Benedict, to use on your
eye and to wear on your neck. Last Thursday she sent
me word that the evening before, as she was sitting
before the grate-fire the lump fell off in her lap. She
was so thankful and intends to wear the Medal all her
life. I feel sure of her conversion. As she wanted to
read something about the Saint that cured her, I gave
her the life of Father Paul to read.

Detroit, Mich. I asked the intercession of Father
Paul of Moll in a very serious matter and I promised to
have a holy Mass said in his honor for the repose of the
poor souls, if my request were granted. I am more
than grateful to say that my prayer was indeed heard
in a very extraordinary manner. It goes to show, how
great is the power of the saintly monk.

San Francisco. Father Paul of Moll has been a
good Father to me in the past year, he has obtained for
me a number of favors, one special great one, the cure
in a serious illness.

Sacred Heart Convent, N. Dak. I will mention
to Father Paul's honor what he did for us. Last No-
vember I fell and broke my shoulder in three places;
the physicians said I could never use that arm again; I
made two novenas to St. Benedict and Father Paul.
Now I have the use of this same arm (right one) as I
had before the accident.

Iowa. Another priest from Iowa writes : —
Father Paul has been a striking revelation to me.
I have read the wonderful book twice and am treasuring

288

LIFE OF FATHER PAUL OF MOLL.

up the heavenly light that shines in it and the divine
wisdom of his sayings. When the world at large will
know completely of Father Paul, he will become a new
St. Anthony of Padua and countless blessings he will
obtain for those who call upon him in their distress.

Missouri. A Redemptorist Father writes : —
Our aged Father. ... has great confidence in the
intercession of Father Paul of Moll. Whenever he
suffered from a pain in his head, he invoked Father
Paul and was at once relieved. Later on he invoked
him, when suffering from a long-standing, intermittent
pain in the left side. He was suddenly cured after in-
voking him and the pain has not returned since.

Newport, Ky. Our one year old baby took very
sick with bronchitis, then pneumonia, then inward con-
vulsions. His heart got very bad. His temperature
at times would be over 103. He took vomiting and
diarrhea. He was indeed a very sick baby. Besides
our doctor we had a specialist. We prayed to the Sa-
cred Heart, to the Blessed Virgin and to St. Anthony.
The nurse was a Protestant. At night she would read
the book of Father Paul of Moll for pastime. One
evening the nurse said, "Why don't you make a no-
vena ?" I said, "My goodness, Ida, I have prayed so
much, let God's will be done !" However, she insisted
on starting a novena that night; she would help us pray.
A queer remark for a Protestant. We started a novena
that night to Father Paul of Moll and on the tenth day
the baby was pronounced out of danger.

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St. Maurus St. Benedict

St. Placidus

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LIFE OF ST. BENEDICT

The Great Patriarch of the
Western Monks

TAKEN

FROM THE WRITINGS OF
SAINT GREGORY THE GREAT.

Digitized by

The life of St. Benedict was written in Latin
by St. Gregory the Great. The text of the English
translation is taken with very few changes, from an
old manuscript dated 1638.

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Life of St. Benedict,
Patriarch of the Western Monks.

Introduction.

The life of St. Benedict is related to us by Pope
Gregory the Great, who, being a relative of the great
Patriarch, and a member of his Order, was particularly
qualified for this task. Pope Gregory was not person-
ally acquainted with St. Benedict, as the latter died
when Gregory (540-604) was but three years old. But
he lived and associated with St. Benedict's disciples,
and was informed by them, as faithful eye-witnesses, of
the life and deeds of this great man. Those who con-
tributed to the facts recorded by Pope Gregory are the
following : Abbot Constantine, first successor of St.
Benedict in the monastery of Monte Cassino; Abbot
Valentinian who directed the monastery of the Lateran;
Simplicius, third Abbot of Monte Cassino; and finally
Honoratus, who was Abbot of Subiaco at the time of
St. Gregory. These are the commanding authorities to
which he refers in portraying to us the life of the Pa-
triarch of monks.

The Downfall of the Roman Empire.

With regard to Church and state, never was the
condition of Europe, so sad and deplorable as at the
time when St. Benedict was born. A total downfall of
existing conditions had taken place; all bonds of order

291

292

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

seemed dissolved, and civil laws and authorities done
away with. More than ever was the Church infected
with heresy and schism. The greater number of the
European nations adopted the heresies of Arius, Nes-
torius and Eutyches. Some countries such as Germany
and England, were still in the darkness of paganism.
The Roman empire, that gigantic union of two hundred
millions of people under Emperor Augustus, was over-
thrown amid the invasions of the barbarous hordes from
the North, who, penetrating into the heart of Europe,
devastated the entire country, and spreading to the
South and West, brought about that immense movement
known in history, as the migration of nations. In Italy
alone, the Ostrogoths had founded a kingdom which
was effectually governed by several kings, such as
Theodoric the Great, Totila, and others.

These unsteady conditions and ever changing cir-
cumstances were most detrimental to the Church. The
new barbarous tribes, it is true, embraced Christianity,
nevertheless, they were to a great extent given to the
Arian heresy, and thus the countries in which the first
disciples of Christ had preached the Gospel, became a
prey to heresy and barbarism. It was, therefore, nec-
essary that the world should be reconquered for Christ.
And this enormous work of conversion was in great
measure effected by St. Benedict, through the organi-
zation of his renowned Order of monks in the West.
This holy Order God had chosen for His Church, in
establishing the Christian world upon the ruins of the
dilapidated Roman empire, and in instructing and

A Prey lo Heresy and Barbarism.

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

293

civilizing the new tribes unto Christ and Christian
society, "it is wonderful/* says a historian, "how
Divine Providence has manifested its care for the
Church, by calling St. Benedict for this great work.
Because at the very time when all Italy, France, Spain,
and the northern coast of Africa were in the possession
of the Goths and Vandals, and almost the entire East
was infected with heresy — in this frightful darkness,
so bright a light shone forth from St. Benedict and his
Order, that the whole world was thereby illumined,,,

St. Benedict of Noble Family.

St. Benedict was born in the year 480, at Nursia, a
city in southern Italy. He was descended from the
Anicians, a noble Roman . family, which numbered
among its members most renowned men : senators, gen-
erals and even saints. His father's name was Eupropius,
his mother's Abundantia, his pious and holy twin sister
whom he cherished with tender affection his life long,
was called Scholastica. Regarding the early years of
St. Benedict and St. Scholastica little is known; but we
rejoice in the possession of a beautiful "vision" of Anna
Catherine Emmerich, which contains a very touching
description of the childhood years of the twin brother
and sister. For the edification and instruction of the
reader, it is here inserted.

The Vision of Anno Catherine Emmerich.

"Through the relics of St. Scholastica, I saw many
scenes in her life and that of St. Benedict. I saw their
paternal home in a great city, not far from Rome. It
was not built entirely in the Roman style. Before it

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294

LIFE T)F SAINT BENEDICT.

was a paved courtyard whose low wall was surmounted
by a red latticework, and behind lay another court with
a garden and a fountain. In the garden was a beautiful
summer-house overrun with vines, and here I saw
Benedict and his little sister Scholastica, playing as lov-
ing, innocent children are wont to amuse themselves.
The flat ceiling of the summer-house was painted all
over with figures, which at first I thought sculptured,
so clearly were their outlines defined.

"The brother and sister were very fond of each
other and so nearly of the same age that I thought them
twins. The birds flew in familiarly at the windows,
with flowers and twigs in their beats and sat looking
intently at the children who were playing with flowers
and leaves, planting sticks and making gardens. I saw
them writing and cutting all sorts of figures out of
colored stuffs. Occasionally their nurse came to look
after them.

"Their parents seemed to be people of wealth, who
had much business on hand, for I saw about twenty
persons employed in the house; but they did not seem
to trouble themselves about their children. The father
was a large, powerful man, dressed in the Roman style;
he took his meals with his wife and some other members
of the family in the lower part of the house, whilst the
children lived entirely upstairs in separate apartments.
Benedict had for preceptor an old ecclesiastic with
whom he stayed almost all the time; and Scholastica
had a nurse near whom she slept. The brother and
sister were not often allowed to be alone together; but
whenever they could steal off for a while, they were
very gleeful and happy. I saw Scholastica by her

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

295

nurse's side, learning some kind of work. In the room
adjoining that in which she slept stood a table on which
lay in baskets the material for her work, a variety of
colored stuff, from which she cut figures of birds,
flowers, etc., to be sewed on other larger pieces. When
finished they looked as if carved on the groundwork.

"The ceilings of the rooms, like that of the summer-
house, were covered with different colored pictures.
The windows were not glass : they were of some kind
of stuff on which were embroidered all sorts of figures,
trees, lines, and pointed ornaments. Scholastica slept
on a low bed behind a curtain. I saw her in the morn-
ing when her nurse left the room, spring out of bed and
prostrate in prayer before a crucifix on the wall. When
she heard the nurse returning she used to slip quickly
behind the curtain and be in bed again before the nurse
entered the room. I saw Benedict and Scholastica
separately learning from the former's tutor. They read
from great rolls of parchment, and they painted letters
in red, gold, and an extraordinarily fine blue; as they
wrote they rolled the parchment. They made use of
an instrument about as long as one's finger. The older
the children grew, the less were they allowed to be
together.

"I saw Benedict at Rome, when about fourteen
years old, in a large building in which there was a cor-
ridor with many rooms. It looked like a school or a
monastery. There were many young men and some old
ecclesiastics in a large hall, as if at a holiday feast. The
ceilings were adorned with the same kind of paintings
as those in Benedict's home. The guests did not eat
reclining. They sat on round seats so low that they

296

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

were obliged to stretch out their feet; some sat on one
side, back to back, at a very low table. There were
holes hollowed in the massive table to receive the yellow
plates and dishes; but I did not see much food, only
three large plates of flat, yellow cakes in the center of
the table.

"When all had finished, I saw six females of differ-
ent ages, relatives of the youths, enter the hall, carrying
something like sweetmeats and little flasks in baskets
on their arms. The young men arose and conversed
with their friends at one end of the hall, eating the
dainties and drinking from the flasks. There was one
woman about thirty years of age, whom I had once
before seen at Benedict's home. She approached the
young man with an enticing mien; but he, perfectly
innocent, suspected nothing bad in her. I saw that she
hated his purity and entertained a sinful love for him.
She gave him a poisoned, an enchanted drink from a
flask. Benedict suspected nothing, but I saw him that
evening in his cell restless and tormented. He went, at
last, to a man and asked permission to go down into
the courtyard, for he never went out without leave.
There he knelt in a corner of the yard, disciplining
himself with long thorn branches and nettles. I saw
him later on, when a hermit, helping this his would-be
seducer who had fallen into deep distress precisely be-
cause she had sought to tempt him. Benedict had been
interiorly warned of her guilt.

"Afterwards I saw Benedict on a high, rocky
mountain when, perhaps in his twentieth year. He had
hollowed out a cell for himself in the rock. To this he
added a passage and another cell, and then several cells

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

297

all cut in the rock; but only the first opened outside.
Before it he had planted an avenue of trees. He arched
them and ornamented the vaulted roof with pictures
which seemed to be made of many small stones put to-
gether. In one cell I saw three such pictures; heaven
in the center, the nativity of Christ on one side, the
last judgment on the other. In the last our Lord was
represented sitting on an arch, a sword issuing from His
mouth; below, between the elect and the reprobate,
stood an angel with a pair of scales. Benedict had
besides made a representation of a monastery with its
abbot, and crowds of monks in the background. He
seemed to have had a foresight of his own monastery.

"More than once I saw Benedict's sister, who lived
at home, going on foot to visit her brother. He never
allowed her to stay with him over night. Sometimes
she brought him a roll of parchment which she had
written. Then he showed her what he had done, and
they conversed together on divine things. Benedict
was always very grave in his sister's presence whilst she,
in her innocence, was mirthful and joyous. When she
found him too serious, she turned to God in prayer, and
he instantly became like herself, bright and gay.

"Later on I saw her under her brother's direction,
establishing a convent on a neighboring mountain, dis-
tant only a short day's journey. To it flocked numbers
of religious women. I saw her teaching them to chant :
they had no organs. Organs have been very prejudical
to singing. They make of it only a secondary affair.
The nuns prepared all the church ornaments themselves
in the same kind of needlework that Scholastica had
learned when a child at home. On the refectory table

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298

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

was a large cloth on which were all sorts of figures,
pictures, and sentences, so that each religious always
had before her that to which she was especially obliged.
Scholastica spoke to me of the sweets and consolations
of spiritual labor and the labor of ecclesiastics.

"I always saw Scholastica and Benedict surrounded
by tame birds. Whilst the former was yet in her father's
house, I used to see doves flying from her to Benedict
in the desert; and in the convent I saw around her
doves and larks bringing her red, white, yellow and
violet-blue flowers. Once I saw a dove bringing her a
rose with a leaf. I cannot repeat all the scenes of her
life that were shown me, for I am so sick and miserable !
Scholastica was purity itself. I see her in heaven as
white as snow. With the exception of Mary and Mag-
dalen, I know of no saint so loving." Thus far the
"vision" of Anna Catherine Emmerich.

The early years of Benedict were spent at the home
of his parents. Even as a boy, he was distinguished
for his earnestness and deep piety. St. Gregory relates
of him, that even in his youth he manifested the mind,
and disposition of a mature man, with morals far be-
yond his age; he despised the amusements of the world,
and never permitted his heart to be defiled by sensual
pleasures.

When Benedict had passed his childhood years, his
parents placed him in the schools of Rome to have him
educated in the fine arts. But now came the turning
point in his life. When he saw that many of his com-
panions in the great metropolis were giving themselves

His Flight.

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT. 299

up to vice and precipitating themselves into the abyss
of destruction, he fled from the world and its corrup-
tion. God, calling him to higher things, and the dan-
gers of the world prompting him to leave it, he quits
Rome at the age of fourteen years, to seek salvation
and perfection in solitude.

Now let us hear what Gregory the Great relates.

Miracles Wrought by St. Benedict.

The Broken Sieve.

Benedict left the schools and resolved to betake
himself to the solitude, accompanied only by his nurse
who most tenderly loved him. Coming therefore to a
place called Affile, and remaining for some time in the
church of St. Peter, at the charitable invitation of many
virtuous people who lived there for devotion, so it
chanced that his nurse borrowed of a neighbor a sieve
to cleanse wheat, which being left carelessly upon the
table was found broken in two pieces. Therefore on
her return finding it broken, she began to weep bitterly
because it was only lent her. But the religious and
pious boy, Benedict, seeing his nurse lament was moved
with compassion, and taking with him the two pieces
of the broken sieve, with tears he gave himself to prayer,
which no sooner ended, he found the sieve whole, and
found not any sign that it had been broken. Then
presently he restored the sieve whole to his nurse, to
her exceeding comfort. This matter was divulged unto
all that lived there about, and so much admired by all,
that the inhabitants of that place caused the sieve to be
hung up in the church porch, that not only those pre-

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LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

sent, but all posterity might know with how great gifts
of grace Benedict had been endowed from the beginning
of his conversion. The sieve remained to be seen for
many years after, and hung over the church door even
until the times of the Longobards.

But Benedict more desirous to suffer afflictions than
covetous of praise, and rather willing to undergo labors
for the honor of God, than to be extolled with the
favors of this world, fled secretly from his nurse to a
remote place in the desert called Subiaco, distant about
forty miles from Rome.

As he was travelling to this place, a certain monk
called Romanus met him and asked whither he was
going. Having understood his intention, he both kept
it secret and affored him help, moreover, he gave him
a religious habit and assisted him in all things. The
man of God being come to this place lived for the space
of three years in an obscure cave, unknown to any man
except Romanus, the monk. On certain days he would
bring to Benedict a loaf of bread which he had spared
from his own allowance. But, there being no way to
the cave from Romanus's cell, by reason of a steep and
high rock which hung over it, Romanus used to let down
the loaf by a long cord to which also he fastened a little
bell, that by the sound of it, the man of God might
know when Romanus brought him the bread, and going
out might receive it. But the old enemy, envying the
charity of the one and the refection of the other, when
on a certain day he beheld the bread let down in this
manner, threw a stone and broke the bell. Notwith-

St. Romanus helps St. Benedict.

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

301

standing, Romanus afterwards failed not to assist him
in the best manner he was able.

Now when it pleased Almighty God that Romanus
should rest from his labors, and that the life of Benedict
should be manifest to the world for an example to all
men, that the candle set upon a candlestick might shine
and give light to the whole Church of God, our Lord
vouchsafed to appear to a certain priest living far off,
who had made ready his dinner for Easter day, saying
to him, "Thou hast prepared good cheer for thyself,
and My servant in such a place is famished with hunger."
Who presently rose up, and on the solemn day of Easter
went towards the place with such meat as he had pro-
vided f6r himself, where seeking the man of God,
amongst craggy rocks, winding valleys and hollow pits
he found him hid in a cave. Then after prayers, and
blessing the Almighty Lord, they sat down, and after
some spiritual discourse the priest said, "Rise, and let
us take our refection, for this is Easter day." To
whom the man of God answered, "I know it is Easter,
because I have found so much favor as to see thee" (for
not having a long time conversed with men, he did not
know it was Easter day). The good priest did there-
fore again affirm it, saying, "Truly this is the day of
our Lord's resurrection, and therefore it is not fit that
you should keep abstinence, and for this cause I am
sent that we may eat together that which Almighty God
hath bestowed on us." Whereupon blessing God, they
took their meal, and when the discourse and dinner was
ended, the priest returned to his church.

The Easter Meal.

302

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

About the same time certain shepherds found him
hid in a cave; who at first, spying him among the bushes,
clothed in the skins of beasts, took him for some wild
animal, but afterwards knowing him to be a man of
God, many of them were converted from their savage
life to virtue. By this means his life began to be famous
in the country, and many did resort unto him, bringing
with them necessaries for his body, while they received
from his lips the food of life.

How He Overcome o Temptation of the Flesh.

The holy man being on a certain day alone, the
tempter was at hand; for a little black bird, commonly
called thrush, began to fly about his face, and that so
near, that the holy man, if he would, might have taken
it with his hand; but no sooner had he made the sign of
the cross than the bird vanished. When presently so
great a carnal temptation assailed him, that before the
holy man had never felt the like. For the remembrance
of a woman which sometime he had seen, was so lively
presented to his fancy by the wicked spirit, and so
vehemently did her image inflame his breast with lustful
desires, that almost overcome by pleasure, he was de-
termining to leave the wilderness. But suddenly assist-
ed by divine grace, he came to himself, and, seeing
near him a thicket full of nettles and briars, he threw
off his garments and cast himself naked into the midst
of those sharp thorns and nettles, where he rolled him-
self so long, that when he rose up, his body was pitifully
rent. Thus by the wounds of his flesh he cured those
of his soul. And after that time, as he himself related

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

3°3

to his disciples, he was so free from the like tempta-
tion, that he never felt any such motion.

Henceforth, many began to forsake the world to
place themselves under his government. Being now.
altogether free from vice, he worthily deserved to be
made a master of virtue.

How St. Benedict Broke a Gloss by the Sign of the Cross.

Not far off was a monastery, whose abbot being
dead, the whole convent repaired to the venerable man
Benedict, and with earnest persuasions requested him
to be their abbot, which he refused for a long time, fore-
warning them that his manner of life and theirs would
not agree; yet at length overcome with importunity he
gave his consent. But when in the same monastery
he began to observe regular discipline the monks fell
into a great rage, and began therefore to plot his death;
and after consultation, they poisoned his wine. So
when the glass which contained the poisoned drink
was, according to the custom of the monastery, pre-
sented at table to be blessed by the abbot, Benedict
putting forth his hand and making the sign of the cross,
the glass which was held far off broke in pieces, as if
he had thrown a stone against it. By this the man of
God perceived that the glass had in it the drink of death
which could not endure the sign of life. So presently
rising up, with a mild countenance and tranquil mind,
having called the brethren together, he thus spake unto
them : "Almighty God in His mercy forgive you breth-
ren; why have you dealt thus with me? Did I not
foretell you that my manner of life and yours would not
agree ? Go and seek a superior to your liking, for you

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LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

can have me no longer with you." This said, he forth-
with returned to the solitude he loved so well, and lived
there by himself, in the sight of Him who seeth all things.

St. Benedict Receives St. Maurus and St. Placidus.

The holy man for many years in that desert in-
creased wonderfully in virtues and miracles, whereby a
great number in those parts were gathered together in
the service of Almighty God; so that by the assistance
of our Lord Jesus Christ, he built there twelve monas-
teries, in each of which he put twelve monks with their
superiors, and retained a few with himself, whom he
thought to instruct further.

Now began divers noble and devout personages
from Rome to resort to him, and commended their
children to be brought up by him in the service of Al-
mighty God. At the same time Equitius brought unto
him Maurus, and Tertullus, a senator, brought his son
Placidus, both very promising children, of which two,
Maurus, although young, yet by reason of his progress
in the school of virtue, began to assist his master, but
Placidus was as yet a child of tender years.

St. Benedict Punishes the lndevout Monk.

In one of those monasteries which he had built
near-by, was a certain monk who could not stay at his
prayers, but as soon as he saw his brethren kneel and
dispose themselves for their mental prayer, he would go
out, and there give his wandering thoughts to worldly
and transitory things. For which, having been often
admonished by his abbot, he was brought before the
man of God, who also sharply reprimanded him for his

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

305

folly; but returning to his monastery, he scarce remem-
bered two days what the man of God had said to him;
for the third day he fell to his old custom, and at the
time of prayer went out again: whereof when the serv-
ant of God was informed, he said, "i will come myself
"and reform him." And when he was come to the same
monastery, and the brethren, after the psalms ended, at
the accustomed time betook themselves to prayer, he
perceived a little black boy who pulled this monk (who
could not remain at his prayers) out by the hem of his
garment. This he insinuated secretly to Pompeianus,
abbot of the monastery, and to Maurus, "See you not
there who it is that draweth this monk out?" Who
answered, "No." "Let us pray," replied he, "that you
may likewise see whom this monk followeth." After
prayer continued for two days, Maurus the monk saw,
but Pompeianus the abbot of the monastery could not
perceive anything. The next day when the man of God
had finished his prayer he went out of the oratory, and
found the monk standing without, whom he forthwith
struck with a wand, and from that time ever after the
monk was free from the wicked suggestions of the black
boy, and remained constant at his prayers. For the
old enemy, as if himself had been beaten with the whip
dared no more to take command of his thoughts.

The Spring on the Top of (he Mountain.

Three of the monasteries which he founded in that
place were built upon the cliffs of a mountain, and it
was very troublesome to the monks always to be forced
to descend to the lake to carry up their water, for, on
account of the steepness of the mountain side, it was

306

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

very difficult and dangerous to descend. Hereupon the
brethren of these three monasteries came all together
to the servant of God, Benedict, saying, "it is very
troublesome to us to have to go daily down for water
as far as the lake, and therefore, the monasteries must
of necessity be removed to some more commodious
place." He dismissed them with comforting words, and
at night with little Placidus, whom we mentioned before,
he went up to the rock and there prayed a long time.
Having ended his prayers, he put three stones for a
mark in the same place, and so unknown to all he re-
turned to his monastery. Next day, when the brethren
came again to him for want of water he said, "Go, and
on the rock where you shall find three stones one upon
another, dig a little, for Almighty God is able to make
water spring from the top of that mountain, that ypu
may be eased of this labor." When they had made a
hollow in that place, it was immediately filled with water
which issued forth so plentifully that to this day it con-
tinueth running down to the foot of the mountain.

At another time, a certain Goth poor in spirit, de-
siring to lead a religious life, repaired to the man of
God, Benedict, who most willingly received him. One
day he ordered an ax to be given to him to cut bram-
bles in a place which he intended for a garden. This
place, which the Goth had undertaken to prepare was
over the lake's side. While the Goth labored amain in
cutting up the thick briars, the iron, slipping out of the
handle, fell into the lake, in a place so deep that there
was no hope of recovering it. The Goth, having lost

The Goth Who Lost His Ax.

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

3°7

his ax, ran trembling to the monk Maurus, and told
him the mischance, confessing his fault penitently, who
presently informed Benedict, the servant of God there-
of. Immediately the man of God came himself to the
lake, took the handle out of the Goth's hand, and cast
it into the lake, when behold, the iron rose up from the
bottom and entered into the handle as before. Which
he there rendered to the Goth, saying, "Behold! work
on and be not discomforted."

How His Disciple Maurus Walked on the Water.

One day as venerable Benedict was in his cell, the
aforesaid young Placidus, a monk of the holy man, went
out to the lake to get water, and letting down the buck-
et to take up water, by chance fell in himself after it,
and was presently carried away by the stream. This
accident was at the same time revealed to the man of
God in his cell, who quickly called Maurus, saying,
"Run, Brother Maurus, for the child who went to get
water has fallen into the lake, and the stream hath car-
ried him a great way." A wonderful thing and not
heard of since the time of Peter the Apostle ! Maurus
having asked and received his benediction, upon the
command of his superior went forth in haste, and be-
ing come to the place to which the child was driven by
the stream, thinking he still went on dry land, he ran
upon the water, took him by the hair of the head, and
returned speedily back. No sooner had he set foot
upon firm ground when he came to himself, and per-
ceiving that he had gone upon the water, was much
astonished, and wondered how he had done that.

So, returning to his superior, he related what had

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LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

happened, which the venerable man Benedict, ascribed
to Maurus's prompt obedience, and not to his own
merits; but contrary wise Maurus attributed it wholly to
his command, not imputing any virtue to himself in
that which he had done unwittingly. This humble and
charitable contention, the child Placidus who was saved,
was to decide, for he said, "When I was drawn out of
the water, I saw my abbot's garments over my head and
imagined that he had drawn me out."

Of the Poisoned Loaf Which the Crow Carried Away.

When, as now, the places far and wide were very
zealous in the love of our Lord God, Jesus Christ, many
abandoned the vanities of the world and put themselves
under the sweet yoke of our Redeemer. As it is the
custom of the wicked to repine at the virtues of others
which they themselves. desire not to follow, one Floren-
tius, a heretical Arian priest, of a church near-by, be-
gan, by the instigation of the devil, to be envious of
the virtuous proceedings of the holy man, and also hin-
dered as many as he could from resorting to him. But
seeing that he could not stop his progress, the fame of
his virtues still more increasing, and many upon the
report of his sanctity reforming their lives daily, he
became more and more envious, and constantly grew
worse, for he desired for himself the commendations of
Benedict's life. Thus blinded by envy, he sent to the
servant of Almighty God a poisoned loaf for an offering,
which the man of God received thankfully, although he
was not ignorant of the poison in it.

There used to come to him at the time of dinner a
crow from the adjacent forest, which took bread from

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

3°9

his hand. Coming therefore, as she was wont, the man
of God cast before her the bread that the priest had
sent him, saying, "in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
take this bread and cast it in some place where no man
may find it." The crow, gaping and spreading her
wings, run croaking about it, as if she would have said,
I would willingly fulfill thy command, but I am not
able. The man of God commanded again, saying,
"Take it up, take it up, and cast it where no man can
find it." So at length the crow took it up in her beak
and flew away with it, and three hours after returned
again to receive from his hand her ordinary allowance.
The venerable Father seeing the priest so perversely
bent on seeking his life, was more sorry for him than
grieved for himself.

When the aforesaid Florentius saw that he could
not kill the body of his master, he attempted to do
harm to the souls of his disciples. Therefore, he sent
seven naked girls into the garden of the cloister where
Benedict lived, that playing for a long time hand in
hand, they might entice their souls to sinful desires.
When the holy man noticed them from his cell, to pre-
vent the fall of his younger disciples, and considering
that all this was done only for the persecution of him-
self, he left in the monastery a competent number of
brethren with superiors, taking with him only a few
monks, and removed to another place.

Thus the man of God with humility avoided the
hatred of the unfortunate priest, whom Almighty God
struck with a terrible judgment; for when the aforesaid
priest, standing in his summer-house, heard to his great
joy, that Benedict was gone, the room wherein he was,

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LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

fell down and crushed and killed the enemy of Bene-
dict, the rest of the house however, remaining intact.
This, Maurus, the disciple of the man of God, thought
fit to signify forthwith to the venerable Father Benedict
who was yet scarce gone ten miles, saying, ' 'Return, for
the priest that did persecute you is slain." Which the
man of God hearing took very heavily, both because his
enemy was dead and because his disciple rejoiced there-
at. Whereupon he enjoined him a penance for pre-
suming in a joyful manner to bring such news to him.

The castle called Cassino is situated upon the side
of a high mountain which riseth in the air about three
miles high so that the top seemeth to touch the very
heavens. On the Mount Cassino stood an old temple
where Apollo was worshipped by the foolish country
people, according to the custom of the ancient heathen.
Round about it, likewise, grew groves, in which even
until that time, the mad multitude of infidels offered
their idolatrous sacrifices. The man of God coming to
that place broke down the idol, overthrew the altar,
burnt the groves, and, of the temple of Apollo, made a
chapel of St. Martin, and, where the profane altar had
stood, he built a chapel of St. John; and, by continual
preaching, converted many of the people thereabout.

But the old enemy not bearing this silently, did
present himself in the sight of the Father, and with great
cries complained of the violence he suffered, in so much
that the brethren heard him though they could see noth-
ing. For, as the venerable Father told his disciples
the wicked fiend represented himself to his sight all on

Monte Cassino.

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

311

fire, and with flaming mouth and flashing eyes, seemed
to rage against him. And then, they all heard what he
said, for first, he called him by name, and when the
man of God would make him no answer, he fell to re-
viling him. And whereas before he cried, "Benedict,
Benedict," and saw he could get no answer, then he
cried, "Maledict, not Benedict, what hast thou to do
with me, and why dost thou persecute me ?"

Of the Fantastical Fire that Burned the Kitchen.

Then the man of God considered it best that they
should dig in that place. When they had reached a
good depth the brethren found a brazen idol, which for
the time being was thrown into the kitchen. Suddenly
there seemed a flame to rise out of it, and, to the sight
of all the monks it appeared that all the kitchen was on
fire. As they were casting on water to quench this
fire, the man of God, hearing the tumult, came, and
perceiving that there appeared fire to the eyes of the
brethren and not to his, he forthwith bowed his head
in prayer, and calling upon those whom he saw deluded
with an imaginary fire, he bade them sign their eyes
that they might behold the kitchen and not those
fantastical flames which the enemy had counterfeited.

How a Boy, Crushed by the Fall of a Wall, Was Healed
by the Servo nj of God.

Again when the brethren were raising the wall a
little higher for more convenience, the man of God was
at his devotion in his cell, to whom the old enemy
appeared in an insulting manner and told him he
was going to his brethren at work. The man of God,

312

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

straightway by a messenger, informed the brethren
thereof, saying, "Brethren, have a care of yourself, for
the wicked spirit at this hour is coming to molest you. "
Scarce had the messenger told this errand when the
malignant spirit overthrew the wall that was being built,
and with the fall thereof crushed a young monk, the
son of a senator. Hereat all of them were much grieved
and discomforted, and brought the sad tidings to their
venerable Father Benedict, who bade them bring the
boy to him, who could not be carried but in a sheet, by
reason that not only his body was bruised but also his
bones crushed by the fall. Then the man of God willed
them to lay him in his cell upon his mat where he used
to pray; so causing the brethren to go out he shut the
door, and with more than ordinary devotion fell to his
prayers. A wonder to hear, the very same hour he
sent him to his work again, whole and sound as ever
he was before, to help his brethren in making up the
wall.

Of Monks Who Had Eaten out of Their Monastery.

Now began the man of God, by the spirit of proph-
ecy, to foretell things to come, and to know things that
had passed. It was the custom of the monastery that
the brethren, sent abroad about any business, should
neither eat nor drink anything outside the cloister.
This, in the practice of the rule, being carefully ob-
served, one day some brethren upon occasion went
abroad, and were forced to stay later than usual, so
that they rested and refreshed themselves in the house
of a very devout woman of their acquaintance.

Returning late to the monastery, they asked, as
was the custom, the abbot's blessing, of whom he

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313

straightway demanded, saying, "Where dined you?"
They answered, * 'Nowhere. " To whom he said, "Why
do you lie ? Did you not go into such a woman's
house ? Ate you not there such and such meats ?
Drank you not so many cups ?" When the venerable
Father had told them both the woman's lodging, the
several sorts of meats, with the number of their
draughts, they, in great terror fell down at his feet, and
with acknowledgment of all that they had done, con-
fessed their fault. But he straightway pardoned them,
persuading himself they would never afterwards attempt
the like in his absence, knowing he was always present
with them in spirit.

One day as the brethren were building the cells of
the cloister, there lay a stone in the midst, which they
determined to lift up and put into the building. When
two or three were not able to move it, they set more to
it, but it remained as immovable as if it had been held
by roots to the ground, so that it was easy to conceive
that the old enemy sat upon it, since that so many men
were not able to lift it. After much labor in vain, they
sent for the man of God to help them by his prayers to
drive away the enemy, who presently came, and having
first prayed, he gave his blessing, when behold, the
stone was as easily lifted as if it had no weight at all.

How He Discovered the Dissimulation of King Totila.

In the time of the Goths, their king, informed that
the holy man had the gift of prophecy, went towards
his monastery, and made some stay a little way off, and

How the Man of God by His Prayers
Removed a Huge Stone.

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LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

gave notice of his coming. To whom answer was made
from the monastery that he might come at his pleasure.
The king being of a treacherous nature, attempted to
try whether the man of God had the spirit of prophecy.
There was one of his guards called Riggo, upon whom
he caused his own buskins to be put, and commanded
him taking on him the king's person, to go forward to
the man of God, three of his chief pages attending
upon him; to wit, Vulderic, Ruderic and Blindin, to
the end they should wait upon him in the presence of
the servant of God, that so, by reason of his attendants
and purple robes, he might be taken for the king.
When the said Riggo, with his brave apparel and attend-
ants, entered the cloister, the man of God sat a little
distance off, and seeing him come so nigh as he might
hear him, he cried out to him, saying, "Put off, son,
put off that which thou wearest, for it is not thine."
Riggo straightway fell to the ground and was much
afraid, for having presumed to delude so holy a man;
all his followers likewise fell down astonished, and
rising, they dared not approach unto him, but returned
to their king, and trembling related unto him how soon
they were discovered.

How He Reproved the Brother of Valentinian, the Monk,
for Eating by the Way.

Moreover, the brother of Valentinian, the monk,
was very devout although but a secular; and he used to
go to the monastery from his dwelling once every year
and that fasting, that he might partake of the prayers
of the servant of God, and see his brother. As he was
on his way to the monastery, another traveller who

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT. 315

carried meat with him put himself into his company.
After they had travelled a good while, he said to him,
"Come, brother, let us refresh ourselves, lest we faint
by the way." "God forbid!" answered the brother,
"by no means, brother, for my custom is always to go
to the venerable Father Benedict fasting." At which
answer his fellow-traveller, for the present, said no
more; but, when they had gone a little farther, he
moved him again to eat, but he would not consent
because he resolved to keep his fast. So the other was
awhile silent, and went forward with him without
taking anything himself. After they had gone a great
way, wearied with long travel, on their way they came
to a meadow and a spring, a delightful place to take
their repast.

Then said the fellow-traveller, "So ! here is water,
here is a meadow, here is a pleasant place for us to
refresh and rest us a while, that we may safely make
an end of our journey." So at the third motion, these
words pleasing his ear, and the place his eye, he was
overcome, consented and ate. In the evening he came
to the monastery, where, conducted to the venerable
Father Benedict, he craved his prayers, but soon the
holy man reproved him for what he had done on the
way, saying, "What was it, brother, that the malignant
enemy suggested to thee by thy fellow-traveller ? The
first time he could not persuade nor yet the second, but
the third time he prevailed and obtained his desire."
Then the man acknowledging his fault fell at his feet,
and began to weep bitterly and to be ashamed.

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LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

How He Prophesied to King Totila and to
the Bishop of Canosa.

Then Totila came himself to the man of God,
whom as soon as he saw sitting afar off, he dared not
come nigh, but fell prostrate to the ground. The holy
man twice or thrice bade him rise, but he dared not get
up. Then Benedict, the servant of Christ our Lord,
deigned himself to come to the prostrate king, whom,
raising from the ground, he rebuked for his deeds, and
foretold in a few words all that should befall him, say-
ing, 4 'Much evil dost thou do, and much wickedness
hast thou done, at least now give up thy iniquity. Into
Rome shalt thou enter, thou wilt cross over the sea,
nine years shalt thou reign, and die the tenth." At the
hearing whereof, the king sorely appalled, craved his
prayers and departed, but from that time he was less
cruel. Not long after he went to Rome, sailed thence
to Sicily and in the tenth year of his reign, by the judg-
ment of Almighty God, lost both crown and life.

Moreover, the bishop of the church of Canosa used
to come to the servant of God, who much loved him
for his virtuous life. He, therefore, conferring with
him concerning the coming of King Totila and the
taking of the city of Rome, said, "The city, doubtless,
will be destroyed by this king, so that it will never more
be inhabited." To whom the man of God replied,
"Rome shall never be destroyed by the pagans, but shall
be so shaken by tempests, lightnings, and earthquakes
that it will decay of itself." The mysteries of which
prophecy we now behold as clear as day, for, in this city,
we see the walls ruined, houses overturned, churches
destroyed by tempestous winds, and buildings rotten

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

3J7

with age, decay and fall into ruins. Although Hono-
ratus his disciple from whose relation I had it, told me
he heard it not himself from his own mouth but was
told it by the brethren.

How St. Benedict Discovered the Hiding of a Flagon of Wine.

Our monk Exbilaratus, was once sent by his master
with two wooden vessels, which we call flagons, full of
wine, to the man of God in his monastery. He brought
one but hid the other on the way, notwithstanding, the
man of God, although he was not ignorant of anything
done in his absence, received it thankfully, and advised
the monk as he was returning back, in this manner :
"Take care, son, thou drink not of that flagon which
thou hast hid, but turn the mouth of it downwards and
then thou wilt perceive what is in it." He departed
from the holy man much ashamed, and desirous of
making farther trial of what he had heard, held the flagon
downwards, and presently there came forth a snake, at
which the monk was sorely affrighted and terrified for
the evil he had committed.

How Venerable Benedict Dispossessed a Certain
Clerk of the Devil.

At that time one of the clergy of the church of
Aquin was molested with an evil spirit, whom the ven-
erable man, Constantius, bishop of that diocese, had
sent to divers martyrs' shrines to be cured; but the holy
martyrs would not cure him, that the gifts of grace in
Benedict might be made manifest. He was, therefore,
brought to the servant of Almighty God, Benedict, who,
by pouring forth prayers to our Lord Jesus Christ,

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LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

presently drove out the enemy. Having cured him, he
commanded him, saying, "Go ! and hereafter never eat
flesh, and presume not to take holy orders, for what
time soever you shall presume to take holy orders, you
shall again become a slave to the devil. " The clerk,
therefore, went his way healed; and as present punish-
ments made deep impressions, he carefully for a while
observed the command of the man of God. But when,
after many years, all his seniors were dead, and he saw
his juniors preferred before him in holy orders, he
neglected the words of the man of God, as though for-
gotten through length of time, and took upon him holy
orders; whereupon, presently, the devil, who before had
left him, took power of him, and never ceased to tor-
ment him till he severed his soul from his body.

How He Prophesied the Destruction of His Monastery.

A certain nobleman, named Theoprobus, was by
the admonition of Father Benedict converted and for
the merit of his life was very familiar and intimate with
him. He one day entering into the cell of the man of
God, found him weeping bitterly; when he had waited
a long while, and saw he did not cease (though it was
his custom in prayer mildly to weep and not to use any
doleful lamentations) he boldly demanded of him the
cause of so great grief. To whom the man of God
presently replied, "All this monastery which I have
built, with whatsoever I have prepared for my brethren,
are, by the judgment of Almighty God, delivered over
to the heathen; and I could scarce obtain from God to
save the lives of those in this place."

His words Theoprobus heard, but we see them

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

3J9

verified in the destruction of his monastery by the
Longobards. For of late these Lombards, by night,
when the brethren were at rest, entered the monastery
and ransacked all, yet had not the power to lay hand
on any man. But Almighty God fulfilled what he had
promised to His faithful servant, Benedict, that although
He gave their goods into the hands of Paynims, yet He
preserved their lives.

Of Two Hundred Measures of Meal Found before
the Man of God's Cell.

At another time also in the country of Campania,
began a great famine, and all people suffered from great
scarcity of food, so that all the wheat in Benedict's
monastery was used and likewise almost all the bread,
so that but five loaves remained for the brethren's
refection. When the venerable Father perceived them
sad, he endeavored by a mild and gentle reproach to
reprehend their pusillanimity, and with fair promises to
comfort them, saying, "Why is your soul sad for want
of bread? Today you are in want but tomorrow you
shall have plenty." The next day there were found two
hundred sacks of meal before the monastery gates; by
whom God Almighty sent it, as yet no man knoweth.
Which when the monks beheld, they gave thanks to
God.

How the Man of God Reproved a Monk for Receiving
Certain Napkins.

Not far distant from the monastery was a certain
town in which no small number of people, by the exhor-
tations of Benedict, were converted from the worship
of idols to the faith of God. In that place were certain

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LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

religious women, and the servant of God, Benedict, used
to send often some of his brethren thither to instruct
and edify their souls. One day, as his custom was, he
appointed one to go; but the monk who was sent, after
his exhortation, by the entreaty of the nuns, took some
small napkins and hid them in his bosom. As soon as
he came back, the man of God began very sharply to
rebuke him, saying, "How hath iniquity entered thy
breast ?" The monk was amazed, and because he had
forgotten what he had done, he wondered why he was
so reprehended. To whom the holy Father said, "What!
was not I present when thou tookest the napkins of the
handmaids of God and didst put them in thy bosom ?"
Whereupon he presently fell at his feet, and repenting
of his folly threw away the napkins which he had hid
in his bosom.

How the Servant of God Understood the Proud Thought
of One of His Monks.

One day, late in the evening, as the venerable
Father was at his repast, it happened that one of his
monks, the son of a lawyer, held the candle for him;
and whilst the man of God was eating, he standing in
that manner, began by the suggestion of pride to say
within himself, "Who is he whom I should wait upon
at table, or hold the candle unto with such attendance?
Who am I who should serve him ?" To whom the man
of God presently turning, checked him sharply saying,
"Sign thy breast, brother, what is this you say? Sign
thy breast." Then he forthwith called upon the brethren
and willed them to take the candle out of his hand, and
bade him for that time to leave his attendance and sit

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

321

down quietly by him. The monk being asked afterward
by the brethren concerning his thoughts at that time,
told them how he was puffed up with a spirit of pride,
and what he spake against the man of God secretly in
his own heart. By this it was easily to be perceived
that nothing could be kept from the knowledge of ven-
erable Benedict, in whose ears the words of unspoken
thoughts resounded.

How by a Vision, He Gave Order to Construct
the Monastery of Terracina.

At another time, he was requested by a certain de-
vout man to send some of his disciples to build a mon-
astery on his estate near the city of Terracina. To
which request he consented, and sent some monks, ap-
pointing an abbot and prior over them. As they were
setting forward, he promised, saying, "Go, and upon
such a day I will come and show you where to build
the oratory, where, the refectory and lodging for the
guests, or what else shall be necessary. " So they re-
ceived his blessing and departed, hoping to see him at
the appointed day, for which they prepared all things
they thought fit and necessary for their Father and his
company.

The night before the appointed day the man of
God appeared in sleep to him whom he had constituted
abbot and to his prior, and described to them most
exactly how he would have the building ordered. When
they awoke, they related to each other what they had
seen, yet not altogether relying on that vision, they
expected the man of God according to his promise, but
seeing he came not at his appointed time, they returned

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to him very pensive, saying, "We have expected,
Father, your coming as you promised, but you came
not to show us where and what we should build." To
whom he said, "Why, brethren, why do you say so ?
Did I not come according to my promise ?" And when
they said, "When came you?" he replied, "Did I not
appear to each of you in your sleep and describe every
place ? Go, and according to the direction given you
in that vision construct the monastery." Hearing this
they were much astonished, and so, returning to the
manor, they erected the whole building according to
the revelation.

Of the Boy Cured of the Leprosy.

But I must not pass over in silence what I heard of
a very honorable man named Anthony, who affirmed
that a servant of his father fell a prey to leprosy, inso-
much that his hair fell out, and his skin was swollen so
that he could no longer hide the increase of his disease.
Being sent by the gentleman's father to the man of God,
he was quickly restored by him to his former health.

How St. Benedict Miraculously Procured Money for a
Poor Man to Discharge His Debt.

Nor will I conceal that which his disciple Peregrine
was wont to relate; how on a certain day, an honest
man, constrained by the necessity of a debt, thought
his only remedy was to have recourse to the man of
God, and acquaint him with his necessity. Therefore,
he came to the monastery, where finding the servant of
Almighty God, he told him how he was extremely urged
by his creditor for the payment of twelve shillings.

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323

The venerable Father answered him that in very deed,
he had not twelve shillings, but yet he comforted his
want with good words, saying, "Go, and after two days
return hither again, for today I have it not to give
thee." These two days, as his custom was, he spent in
prayer, and, on the third day, when the poor debtor
came again, thirteen shillings were found in the monas-
tery upon a chest that was full of corn. These the man
of God caused to be brought him, and gave them to the
distressed man, saying that he might pay twelve, and
have one to defray his charges.

How o Gloss Bottle Was Cost Down upon the Stones
and Not Broken.

At that time when the great famine was in Campania,
the man of God gave all he had in his monastery to
those in want, insomuch that there was almost nothing
left in the cellar save only a little oil in a glass vessel.
When Agapitus, a sub-deacon, came earnestly entreating
to have a little oil given him, the man of God (who had
resolved to give all upon earth that he might have all
in heaven) commanded this little oil that was left to be
given him. The monk, who was cellarer, heard his
command but was loath to fulfill it. The holy man a
little while after demanded whether he had done what
he willed him, and the monk answered that he had not
given it, because if he had given it, there would be
nothing left for the brethren. Hereat much displeased,
the good Father bade another take the glass bottle in
which there remained a little oil, and cast it out the
window, to the end that nothing of the fruits of disobe-
dience might remain in the monastery. This was

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LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

accordingly done. Under the window was a steep
descent full of huge rough stones, upon which the glass
fell, yet it remained as whole and entire as if it had not
been thrown down, so that neither was the glass broken
nor the oil spilled. Then the man of God commanded
it to be taken up and given to him that asked it. Then
calling the brethren together, he rebuked the disobe-
dient monk before them for his pride and unfaithfulness.

How an Empty Barrel Was Filled with Oil.

After this rebuke he and all the brethren fell to
their prayers. In the place where they prayed was an
empty oil-barrel. As the holy man continued his pray-
er, the cover of the said barrel began to be heaved up
by the oil increasing under it, which ran over the brim
of the vessel upon the floor in great abundance. Which
as soon as the servant of God, Benedict, beheld, he
forthwith ended his prayer, and the oil ceased to run
over. Then he admonished the distrustful and disobe-
dient brother to have confidence and learn humility.
So the brother thus reprehended was much ashamed,
because the venerable Father had by his admonition
and by his miracle shown the power of Almighty God,
for a glass of oil.

How He Delivered a Monk from the Devil.

One day as he was going to St. John's oratory,
which stands upon the very top of the mountain, he met
the old enemy upon a mule, in the habit and guise of a
physician, carrying a horn and a mortar; who, being
demanded whither he went, answered he was going to
the monks to minister a drink. Thereupon the venera-

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

325

ble Father Benedict went forward to the chapel to pray,
and having finished, returned back in great haste; for
the wicked spirit found one of the senior monks drawing
water, and presently he entered into him, threw him on
the ground and tortured him unmercifully. As soon
as the man of God, returning from prayer, found him
thus cruelly tormented, he only gave him a blow on
the cheek with his hand, and immediately drove the
wicked spirit out of him, so that he never dared to re-
turn again.

The Terrible Goth.

A certain Goth, named Galla, was of the impious
sect of the Arians. This terrible Goth, during the reign
of King Totila, did with monstrous cruelty, persecute
religious men of the Catholic Church. If any cleric or
monk came in his sight, he was sure not to escape from
his hands alive. This man enraged with an insatiable
desire of spoil and pillage, lighted one day upon a
husbandman whom he tormented with cruel torments.
The rustic, overcome with pain, professed that he had
committed his goods to the custody of the servant of
God, Benedict. This he feigned that he might free
himself from torments and prolong his life for some
time. Then this Galla desisted from tormenting him,
and tying his arms together with a strong cord made
him run before his horse to show him who this Benedict
was, that had received his goods.

Thus the man went in front, having his arms bound,
and brought him to the holy man's monastery, whom
he found sitting alone at the monastery gate, reading.
Then the countryman said to Galla, who followed furi-
ously after him, "See ! this is Father Benedict whom I

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LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

told you of." The barbarous ruffian, looking upon him
with enraged fury, thought to affright him with his usual
threats, and began to cry out with a loud voice, saying,
' 'Rise, rise and deliver up this rustic's goods which
thou hast received. " At whose voice the man of God
suddenly lifted up his eyes from reading, and saw him
and also the countryman whom he kept bound; but, as
he cast his eyes upon his arms, in a wonderful manner,
the cords fell off so quickly, that no man could possibly
have so soon untied them.

When Galla perceived the man whom he brought
bound, so suddenly loosened and at liberty, struck with
fear at the sight of so great power, he fell prostrate,
and bowed his stiff and cruel neck at the holy man's
feet, begging his prayers. But the holy man rose not
from his reading, but called upon the brethren to bring
him to receive his benediction. When he was brought
to him, he exhorted him to leave off his barbarous and
inhuman cruelty.

How He Raised a Child from the Dead.

As he was laboring in the field one day with his
brethren, a certain peasant came to the monastery,
carrying in his arms the dead body of his son, and
pitifully lamenting his loss, asked for the holy Father
Benedict. When they said that he was in the field, he
presently laid down the dead body of his son at the
monastery gate, and, as one distracted with grief, began
running to find the venerable Father. At the same time
the man of God was coming home with his brethren
from the field, whom, when the distresed man espied,
he began to cry out, "Restore me my son, restore me

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327

my son !" "What ! have I taken your son from you?"
To whom the man replied, "He is dead, come and
raise him." When the servant of God heard this he
was much grieved, and said, "Go, brethren, go! This
is not a work for us, but for such as were the holy
apostles. Why will you impose burdens upon us which
we cannot bear ?"

Notwithstanding, the man enforced by excessive
grief, persisted in his petition, swearing that he would
not depart unless he raised his son to life. Then the
servant of God inquired, saying, "Where is he ?" He
answered, "Lo ! his body lieth at the monastery gate."
Whither, when the man of God with his brethren had
come, he knelt down and laid himself on the body of
the child; then, raising himself and with his hands
lifted up towards heaven, he prayed, "O Lord, regard
not my sins, but the faith of this man who craveth to
have his son restored to life, and restore again to this
body, the soul which Thou hast taken from it." Scarce-
ly had he finished these words, when the body of the
boy began to tremble at the reentry of the soul, so
that in the sight of all who were present he was seen
with wonderful quaking to pant and breathe. Whom
he presently took by the hand and delivered alive and
sound to his father.

Of the Miracle Wrought by His Sister Scholostica.

I must tell you a passage concerning the venerable
Father Benedict, that there was something he desired
and was not able to accomplish. His sister Scholastica,
who was consecrated to God from her very childhood,
used to come once a year to see him; unto whom the

328

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

man of God was wont to go to a house not far from the
gate, within the possession of the monastery. Thither
she came one day according to her custom, and her
venerable brother likewise with his disciples; where,
after they had spent the whole day in the praise of God
and pious discourses, the night drawing on, they took
their refection together. As they were yet sitting at
table, and protracting the time with holy conference,
the religious woman, his sister, entreated him saying:,
I beseech you, leave me not this night, that we may
talk until morning of the joys of the heavenly life." To
whom he answered, "What is this you say, sister? By
no means can I stay out of my monastery."

At this time the sky was serene, and not a cloud
was to be seen in the air. The holy woman, therefore,
hearing her brother's refusal, clasped her hands together
upon the table, and bowing her head upon them she
prayed to Almighty God. As she raised up her head
from the table, there began such vehement lightning
and thunder, with such abundance of rain, that neither
venerable Benedict nor his brethren were able to put
foot out of doors. For the holy woman when she leaned
her head upon her hands poured forth a flood of tears
upon the table, by which she changed the fair weather
into foul and rainy.

Then the man of God perceiving that by reason of
thunder and lightning with continual showers of rain,
he could not possibly return to his monastery, was sad
and began to complain, saying, "God Almighty forgive
you, sister, what is this- you have done?" To whom
she made answer, "i prayed you to stay and you would
not hear me : I prayed to Almighty God and He heard

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

329

me. Now, therefore, if you can, go forth to the mon-
astery, and leave me." But he, not able to go forth,
was forced to stay against his will. Thus it happened
that they spent the night in watching, and received full
content in spiritual discourse of heavenly matters.

In What Manner St. Benedict Saw the Soul of His Sister
Go Forth from Her Body.

The next day the venerable woman returned to her
cloister and the man of God to his monastery. When
behold, three days after, while standing in his cell, he
saw the soul of his sister depart out of her body, and,
in the form of a dove, ascend and enter into the celes-
tial mansions. Who rejoicing much to see her great
glory, gave thanks to God Almighty in hymns and
praises, and announced her death to the brethren, whom
he forthwith sent to bring her body to the monastery,
and caused it to be buried in the same tomb that he
had prepared for himself. By means of this it hap-
pened, that as their minds were always one in God, so
also their bodies were not separated in their burial.

How the Whoie World Was Represented before His Eyes,
and the Soul of Germanus, Bishop of Capua.

Another time : Servandus, deacon and abbot of that
monastery which was built in Campania by Liberius,
once a senator, used often to visit him, for being also
illuminated with grace and heavenly doctrine, he re-
paired divers times to the monastery that they might
mutually communicate one to another, and, at least
with sighs and longing desires, taste of that sweet food
of the celestial country whose perfect fruition they were

33<>

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

not as yet permitted to enjoy. When it was time to go
to rest, venerable Benedict went up to the top of the
tower in the lower part of which Servandus the deacon
had his lodging, and from which there was an open
passage to ascend to the higher. While as yet the monks
were at rest, the man of God, Benedict, being diligent
in watching, rose up before the night office and stood
at the window making his prayer to Almighty God about
midnight, when suddenly, looking forth, he saw a light
from above, so bright and resplendent, that it not only-
dispersed the darkness of the night, but shone more
clear than the day itself. Upon this sight a marvelous,
strange thing followed, for, as he afterwards related, the
whole world contracted as it were together, was repre-
sented to his eyes in one ray of light.

As the venerable Father had his eyes fixed upon
this glorious lustre, he beheld the soul of Germanus,
bishop of Capua, carried, by angels to heaven, in a fiery
globe. Then, for the testimony of so great miracle,
with a loud voice he called upon Servandus, the deacon,
twice or thrice by his name, who, troubled at such an
unusual crying out of the man of God, came up, looked
forth, and saw a little stream of light then disappearing,
and wondered greatly at this miracle. Whereupon the
man of God told him all that he had seen, and sent
presently to Theoprobus, a religious man in the town of
Cassino, ordering him to go the same night to Capua,
and learn what had happened to Germanus, the bishop.
It happened so, that he who was sent found the most
reverend Bishop Germanus dead; and on inquiring more
exactly, he learned that his departure was the very same
moment in which the man of God had seen him ascend.

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

331

Of a Monk, Who Leaving His Monastery
Met a Dragon on the Way

One of his monks, of a wavering and inconstant
disposition, would by no means abide in the monastery.
Although the man of God had often reproved and ad-
monished him for it, he would in no wise consent to
remain in the congregation, and often entreated ear-
nestly to be released. So the venerable Father overcome
\>y his importunity, in anger bade him begone.

Scarce had he got out of the monastery, when he
met on the way a dragon that with open mouth, made
towards him. Seeing it ready to devour him, he began
to quake and tremble, crying out aloud, "Help, help,
for this dragon will devour me !" The brethren upon
this ran out, yet saw no dragon, but took the panting
and affrighted monk back again to the monastery, who
forthwith promised never to depart, and from that time
he remained always constant in his promise. He, by
the prayers of the holy man, was made to see the dragon
ready to devour him, which before he had followed un-
perceived.

How He Prophetically Foretold His Death to His Brethren.

The same year in which he departed out of this
life, he foretold the day of his most holy death to some
of his disciples who conversed with him, and to others
who were far off : giving strict charge to those who
were present to keep in silence what they had heard,
and declaring to the absent by what sign they should
know when his soul departed out of his body. Six days
before his departure he caused his grave to be opened,
and immediately after he fell into a fever, by the violence

332

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

whereof his strength began to wax faint, and the infirm-
ity daily increasing, the sixth day he caused his disciples
to carry him into the oratory, where he armed himself
for his going forth by receiving the body and blood of
the Lord; then supporting his weak limbs by the hands
of his disciples, he stood up, his hands lifted towards
heaven, and with words of prayer at last breathed forth
his soul.

The same day two of his brethren, the one living
in the monastery, and the other in a place far remote,
had a revelation in one and the selfsame manner. For
they beheld a way, spread with garments and shining
with innumerable lamps, stretching directly eastwards
from his cell up to heaven; a man of venerable aspect
stood above and asked them whose way that was. But
they professing they knew not, he said to them, "This
is the way by which the beloved of the Lord, Benedict,
ascended." Thus the disciples who were present knew
of the death of the holy man, and so also those who
were absent understood it by the sign foretold them.
He was buried in the oratory of St. John the Baptist,
which he himself had built upon the ruins of Apollo's
altar.

Here end the writings of St. Gregory the Great.

St. Benedict, the great patriarch of the Western
monks, died March 21, 543, on the Saturday preceding
Passion Sunday. His edifying and victorious death,
was indeed suited to so great a champion of Christ. In
his last hour, he assumed a standing position, and thus

Conclusion.

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

333

manifested the power and authority his soul had attained
over his body; even to the last moment, while a burning
fever was consuming his life and strength, he held him-
self erect. He died in the church, in that sanctified
place, where daily with his brethren he had sung the
praises of the Triune God and assisted in the celebra-
tion of the Sacred Mystery, the life-giving sacrifice of
the Mass. Even to this day, his sacred remains are
resting beside those of his sister Scholastica, in the
church of St. John the Baptist, at Monte Cassino.

In course of years, numberless miracles have glori-
fied his tomb. Gregory the Great mentions that at his
time, miracles were wrought through the intercession
of St. Benedict, whenever the petitioner was penetrated
with lively faith.

St. Gregory says, "Not only on account of his
numerous miracles, was St. Benedict a shining light to
the world, but also by reason of his precepts and his
teachings. He wrote a rule for monks which is distin-
guished for its wonderful discretion and clearness of
thought."

In this rule, the Saint laid down laws and precepts
necessary for conventual life. In seventy-three chapters
he regulates the entire monastic life, by combining the
principles of the Gospel into a clear, concise rule for
the life in a monastery. It is true that many holy men,
as Basilius, Pachomius and the Irish Abbot Columban,
had written monastic rules previous to this, but these
were soon replaced by the rule of St. Benedict, and
within a hundred years, it was introduced into nearly

The Rule of St. Benedict.

334

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

all the convents of Europe. When at the Council of
Aachen, in 817, this rule was exclusively elevated as
the code of laws for the monastic life, it became a
source of blessing to the holy Church, throughout the
Middle Ages, and up to the time of the suppression of
monasteries. In the meantime it was faithfully and
punctually observed in about 37,000 convents, and be-
came a powerful factor in laying the foundation and
fostering civilization and morality, science and art,
among the people of Europe.

It had been assumed of old, and popes and councils
had clearly expressed, that the holy rule was written
through the enlightenment of the Holy Ghost. For this
reason it is so perfect and complete, that it remained
unaltered during fourteen centuries, and no one had
ever thought of changing or improving it. In the gen-
eral and essential precepts for the monastic life, for
example, the teachings regarding obedience, silence,
charity, poverty, etc., this rule was the standard not
only for the Order of St. Benedict, but for the monastic
and religious life in general, and for all later forms and
branches thereof.

As St. Gregory mentions, the holy rule is charac-
terized by prudent regulation, and by a wonderful dis-
cretion, the mother of all virtues, and therefore, we
behold a truly admirable combination of severity and
mildness, of prudence and love. St. Fulgentius says
that the rule of St. Benedict contains everything that is
required, and is lacking in nothing; the followers
thereof will attain to eternal glory. The truth of this
statement is confirmed by the fourteen centuries of its
existence, and by the thousands of saints it has pro-

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

335

duced. The Benedictine Order numbers about 60,000
saints recognized by the Church, all of whom are
indebted to the holy rule for their place upon its altars.

At the time when St. Benedict entered the realms
of eternal bliss, it was not yet customary for the Church
to make investigations into the lives of those who had
died in the odor of sanctity, for the purpose of bring-
ing about their canonization. It was sufficient whenever
the voice of the people and clergy agreed with that of
the bishop. This was the case with the servant of God,
St. Benedict. Already during his life he was universally
believed to be a saint, and his sanctity and miracles
proved this beyond all doubt. After his death no one
doubted for a moment that he was permitted to take
possession of the glory of heaven, as a recompense for
his exceedingly meritorious life. God himself con-
firmed this pious belief in his sanctity, by the miracles
which glorified his tomb and by granting the numerous
petitions of those who invoked him. Popes and learned
men vied with one another in praising and exalting the
glories of the Saint. The greatest reward of heaven is
the vision of God, and this constitutes the actual and
essential bliss, which is imparted to a soul according to
the degree of grace it has merited. Let us consider
the abundance of graces that St. Benedict possessed
even as a youth, and how by faithful cooperation he
constantly increased therein to the end of his life.
How glorious must his soul now be and how near God's
throne ! He was also endowed with the special prerog-
atives and adornments of the virgins, martyrs, and

St. Benedict s Glory in Heaven.

336

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

doctors of the Church; for he distinguished himself in
virginal purity, was a martyr of love by unceasingly-
crucifying his flesh and performing frequent and fervent
acts of love, he was a teacher and father to millions by
word and example.

The immense number of his followers, who, under
his leadership, attained to eternal life and now surround
him at the throne of God, are to him a source of most
extraordinary joy and glory. St. Gertrude, one of the
most renowned of his spiritual daughters, once on the
feast of St. Benedict saw this, her glorious Father, be-
fore the throne of the Blessed Trinity all radiant and
resplendent. His garments were brilliant, his counte-
nance full of majesty and beauty, while magnificent
roses seemed to spring forth from ail the members of his
body. From each of these roses there sprouted forth
another, and from this again another, the last of which
always surpassed the others in beauty and fragrance.
The holy Father, thus adorned, was a wonderful spec-
tacle of bliss and joy, to the adorable Trinity and the
whole heavenly host. From this vision, St. Gertrude
understood that the roses signified the pious exercises
whereby he subjected his flesh to the spirit, and all the
holy actions which he himself had performed during
his life, as also the acts of virtue of those who through
his example and teaching were induced to renounce the
world, and following him on the royal road of monastic
discipline, had already entered, or would still enter the
heavenly kingdom. Each of these is a particular glory
to this great Patriarch, and while the entire heavenly
/ host rejoices at his glory and happiness, they praise
God for it unceasingly.

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

337

The love and confidence with which the faithful at
Subiaco and Monte Cassino were devoted to St. Bene-
dict increased still more after his death. The resting-
place of his sacred remains were frequently visited by
great numbers They prayed to him in their homes and
everywhere, with the confidence that his power had not
been lessened in heaven, and that his love would be as
active and charitable as during life. Thus within a
very short time the veneration of the Saint had spread
throughout Italy, and later on with the extension of his
order, over the entire West. Two hundred years later
in every village and city of Europe, his name was hon-
oured and his intercession invoked; and every country
had erected monasteries in his honor. Princes and
people, clergy and laity, the learned and the ignorant,
all were intent on honoring him.

St. Benedict has ever been considered patron of a
happy death, and a most powerful intercessor at the last
hour. His own death was most happy and precious.
Standing praying before the Most Blessed Sacrament
he died like a champion, conquering flesh and hell. St.
Benedict appeared once to St. Gertrude saying, ' 'Who-
soever reminds me of the extraordinary prerogative with
which the Lord deigned to glorify my death, shall be
assisted by me at his death, and I will be his faithful
protector against the assaults of the wicked enemy.
Fortified by my presence, he will escape the snares of
the evil one, and safely attain to eternal glory." This
accounts for the confidence which animates the faithful
in those countries where St. Benedict is specially vener-
ated, that he would give them some sign of their ap-
proaching death and induce them to prepare themselves.

33«

LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

Promises

made to the holy Father regarding the destiny of his
order, and that of its friends and enemies. *

1. His order will continue to exist to the end of
the world.

2. It will, at the end of the world in the final
battle, render great services to the holy Church and
confirm many in the faith.

3. No one shall die in the order, whose salvation
would not be assured. And if a monk begins to lead a
bad life and does not amend, he will fall into disgrace,
or be expelled from the order, or will leave it of hi^s
own accord.

4. Everyone who persecutes his order, and does
not repent, will see his days shortened, or meet with an
unfortunate end.

5. All, however, who love his order, will obtain
a happy death.

* See Arnoldus Visiones : Lignum vitae, Rome 1595.

The Medal of St. Benedict.

There is, indeed, no medal which possesses such
wonderful power, and none so highly esteemed by the
holy Church as the Medal of St. Benedict. Whosover
wears this Medal with devotion, trusting to the life-giv-
ing power of the holy Cross and the merits of the holy
Father St. Benedict, may expect the powerful protection
of this great Patriarch in his spiritual and temporal
needs.

Origin of the Medal.

The origin of the Medal probably dates back to the
time of St. Benedict himself, of whom we know that in
his frequent combats with the evil spirit, he generally
made use of the sign of the cross, and wrought many
miracles thereby. He also taught his diciples to use the
sign of our redemption against the assaults of Satan and
in other dangers. St. Maurus and St. Placidus, his first
and most renowned disciples, wrought their numerous
miracles through the power of the holy Cross and in the
name and by the merits of their holy Founder.

The Medal of St. Benedict became more widely
known through the following wonderful occurrence.
Bruno, afterwards Pope Leo IX., had in his youth been
bitten by a venomous reptile, in consequence of which
he was seriously ill for two months. He had lost the use
of speech and was in a short time reduced to a skeleton.
All hopes of his recovery had been abandoned, when
suddenly he beheld a luminous ladder that reached to

339

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MEDAL OF SAINT BENEDICT.

heaven, from which descended a venerable old man
wearing the habit of a monk. It was St. Benedict,
bearing in his hand a radiant cross, with which he
touched the swollen face of Bruno, and instantly cured
him. Then the apparition disappeared.

Bruno, who had been healed in such a miraculous
manner, later on entered the order of St. Benedict. He
ascended the papal throne in the year 1048, under the
name of Leo IX. and was renowned in the Church for
his sanctity, his devotion to the holy Cross, and to St.
Benedict. Through this pope the Medal of St. Benedict
was enriched with special blessings, and its veneration
spread everywhere. The use of the Medal was solemn-
ly approved and recommended to the faithful by Pope
Benedict XIV. in 1742.

The Blessing of the Medal of St. Benedict.

The Medal of St. Benedict must be blessed by a
Benedictine Father or by a priest especially authorized.
There are three solemn prayers of the church for the
blessing of the Medal.

The first prayer is an exorcism of the wicked
spirit, to make void his evil influence, with the earnest
petition that the Medal be for the welfare of body and
soul of the wearer.

The second prayer is a fervent petition and reads
as follows : —

O Almighty God, the Giver of all good gifts, we
humbly beseech Thee, that Thou wouldst bestow
through the intercession of the holy Father St. Benedict,
Thy blessing upon these Medals, their letters and char-

MEDAL OF SAINT BENEDICT.

341

acters designed by Thee, that all who wear them and
strive to perform good works may obtain health of
body and soul, the grace of salvation, the indulgences
conceded to us, and by the assistance of Thy mercy
escape the snares and deceptions of the devil and ap-
pear holy and stainless in Thy sight

The third prayer is very impressive in virtue of
the detailed and solemn commemoration of the agony,
sufferings and death of our Lord.

After the blessing, the Medals cannot be sold, nor
after use, can they be given away, lent or exchanged;
otherwise the blessing is lost. Medals must, therefore,
be bought before they are blessed; those which are
found must be blessed again.

We distinguish two types of the Medal of St.
Benedict. The ordinary Medal and that of Monte
Cassino, which is known as the Jubilee Medal. The
latter has been enriched with a great number of indul-
gences, especially with the famous Toties Quoties
plenary indulgence, on All Souls' Day. We describe
here only the Jubilee Medal.

In the year 1880, the Venerable Benedictine Order
celebrated the 1400th anniversary of the birth of its
glorious Founder. The beautiful Jubilee Medal was
struck on this occasion and since that time the Monas-
tery of Monte Cassino has the sole privilege of striking
this Medal. Hence all Jubilee Medals must be procured
from the Monastery of Monte Cassino. *

* We receive all our medals direct from Monte Cassino.

Description of the Medal.

342

MEDAL OF SAINT BENEDICT.

On one side the Medal has a cross, the sign of our
redemption, the protecting shield given us by God, to
ward off the fiery arrows of the evil spirit.

In the angles of the cross are found these four
letters : C. S. P. B. They stand for the words : Crux
Sancti Patris Benedicti. "The Cross of the Holy
Father Benedict."

On the perpendicular bar of the cross itself are
found the letters : C. S. S. M. L. And on the horizon-
tal bar of the cross : N. D. S. M. D. They signify :

Round the margin of the Medal, beginning at the
right hand on top, we have the following letters : V. R.
S. N. S. M. V.; S. M. Q. L. I. V. B. They stand
for the verses :

The English words are : "Begone Satan! Suggest not

Crux Sacra Sit Mihi Lux,
Non Draco Sit Mihi Dux.
May the holy Cross be my light,
Let not the dragon be my guide.

Vade Retro, Satana;
Nunquam Suade Mihi Vana.
Sunt Mala Quae Libas;
Ipse Venena Bibas.

MEDAL OF SAINT BENEDICT.

343

to me thy vain things. The cup thou profferest me is
evil; drink thou thy poison."

The reverse of the Medal bears the image of St.
Benedict, holding in his right hand the cross, in the
power of which he wrought so many miracles, and in
his left hand bearing the holy rule, which leads all its
followers by the way of the cross to eternal light.

Round the margin is the inscription: "Ejus in
obitu nostro praesentia muniamur.,, — May his presence
protect us in the hour of our death.

The Power and Effects of the Medal.

Let us state here that we do not ascribe any un-
known or hidden power to the Medal; a power, which
the superstitious ascribe to their charms. We know
wherein its power lies and we protest that the graces
and favors are due, not to the gold or the silver, the
brass or aluminum of the Medal, but to our faith in the
merits of Christ crucified, to the efficacious prayers of
the holy Father St. Benedict and to the blessings which
the holy Church bestows upon the Medal and upon
those who wear it. This Medal excludes every power
or influence which is not from above.

Through the pious use of the Medal of St. Benedict
thousands of miracles and wonderful cures have been
obtained. We would here mention that in the last few
years we have received a number of letters relating most
remarkable cures and extraordinary favors obtained by
the devout use of the said Medal. It is, indeed, edifying
to see how the faithful love and venerate this highly
blessed Medal and how anxious they are to obtain this

344

MEDAL OF SAINT BENEDICT.

holy article which has proved to be a remedy for almost
every evil.

The Medal of St. Benedict is powerful to ward off
all dangers of body and soul coming from the evil spirit.
We are exposed to the wicked assaults of the devil day
and night. St. Peter says, "Your adversary, the devil,
as a roaring lion goeth about seeking whom he may de-
vour" (i. Peter 5, 8). In the life of St. Benedict we
see how the devil tried to do harm to his soul and body
and also to his spiritual children. Father Paul of Moll
frustrated the evil doings of the spirit of darkness chiefly
through the use of the Medal of St. Benedict, which
has proved a most powerful protection against the snares
and delusions of the old enemy. Missionaries in pagan
lands use this Medal with so great effect, that it has
been given the remarkable name, "The devil-chasing
Medal."

The Medal is, therefore, a powerful means :
To destroy witchcraft and all other diabolical
influences.

To keep away the spells of magicians, of wicked
and evil-minded persons.

To impart protection to persons tempted, de-
luded or tormented by evil spirits.

To obtain the conversion of sinners, especially
when they are in danger of death.

To serve as an armour in temptations against
holy purity.

To destroy the effects of poison.

To secure timely and healthy birth for children.

To afford protection against storms and light-
ning.

MEDAL OF SAINT BENEDICT.

345

Finally, the Medal has often been used with
admirable effect, even for animals infected with
plague or other maladies; and for fields when in-
vaded by harmful insects.

It may be worn about the neck, attached to the
scapular or the rosary, or otherwise carried devoutly
about one's person. For the sick it can be placed on
wounds, dipped in medicine or in water which is given
to them to drink.

The Medal is frequently put into the foundation of
houses, or in walls, hung over doors, or fastened on
stables and barns to call down God's protection and
blessing. It is also buried in fields as the saintly Father
Paul of Moll advised his friends to do. He reminded
them, however, not to use the same Medal for their
own person and for the cattle or the field, but to have
for these different purposes special Medals.

No particular prayers are prescribed, for the very
wearing and use of the Medal is considered a silent
prayer to God to grant us, through the merits of St.
Benedict, the favors we request. However, for obtain-
ing extraordinary favors it is highly recommended to
perform special devotions in honor of the holy Father
St. Benedict, for instance on Tuesday, on which day the
Church commemorates the death of the holy Patriarch.
The Way of the Cross is also highly recommended or a
novena to St. Benedict. His feast is celebrated March
21st, two days after the feast of St. Joseph.

The Use of the Medal.

346

MEDAL OF SAINT BENEDICT.

Plenary Indulgences.

A plenary indulgence may be gained on the follow-
ing feasts of Our Lord : —

On the following feasts of the Blessed Virgin : —
Immaculate Conception, (December 8.)
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, (September 8.)
Purification, (Candlemas-Day, February 2.)
Annunciation, (March 25.)
Assumption, (August 15.)

Also a plenary indulgence on the principal feasts
of our holy order :

St. Maurus, (January 15.)

St. Scholastica, (sister of St. Benedict, Feb. 10.)

St. Benedict, (March 21.)

Dedication of the Basilica of Monte Cassino,
(October 1.)

St. Placidus, (October 5.)

All Saints of our Order, (November 13.)

St. Gertrude, (November 17.)

A plenary indulgence on the feasts of All Saints,
(November 1.)

Once a year, at choice, and at the hour of death.

For gaining all these plenary indulgences the condi-
tions required are : the wearing of the Jubilee Medal;
the usual confession and Communion, visit to a church;
prayers for the Pope and for the conversion of sinners.

Christmas,

Easter,

Pentecost,

Epiphany, (Jan. 6.)
Ascension,
Trinity Sunday,

Corpus Christi.

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MEDAL OF SAINT BENEDICT.

347

The "Tbties Quoties" Indulgence.

A great privilege connected with the Jubilee medal
by the decree of the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences,
Feb. 27, 1907 deserves special mention; the toties quoties
plenary indulgence on All Souls1 Day, Nov. 2d.

By virtue of this decree all who habitually wear the
Jubilee Medal can gain a plenary indulgence as often as
{toties quoties) they visit any church or public oratory
and pray according to the intention of the Holy Father
and receive the sacraments either on All Saints' or on
All Souls' Day. Where there is a Benedictine church
within one mile of your own church, the visits must be
made to the Benedictine church.

This great indulgence for the poor souls may be
gained from twelve o'clock, noon, on All Saints' Day
until twelve o'clock midnight on All Souls' Day. For
thirty-six hours you may gain as many plenary indul-
gences as you make visits. What a wonderful help for
the poor souls !

Those who devoutly wear the Medal of St. Benedict
and pray for the propagation of his holy order, share
in all the good works, Masses, Communions, Divine
Office, prayers, and fasts of the entire order.

Another Privilege.

34«

PRAYER IN HONOR OF ST. BENEDICT.

Prayer in Honor of St. Benedict
for a Happy Hour of Death.

Once St. Gertrude reminded St. Benedict of his glorious death,
thereupon the holy Patriarch gave her the following assurance : "All
who invoke me, remembering the glorious death with which God
honored me, shall be assisted by me at their death with such fidelity,
that I will place myself where I see the enemy most disposed to attack
them. Thus being fortified by my presence, they will escape the
snares, which he lays for them and depart happily and peacefully to
the enjoyment of eternal beatitude."

0 holy Father, blessed by God both in grace and

in name, who, whilst standing in prayer with thy hands

raised to heaven, didst most happily yield thy angelic

spirit into the hands of thy Creator; and hast promised

zealously to defend against all the snares of the enemy,

in the last struggle of death, those who should daily

remind thee of thy glorious departure and thy heavenly

joys; protect me, I beseech thee, O glorious Father,

this day and every day, by thy holy blessing; that I may

never be separated from our blessed Lord, from the

society of thyself, and of all the blessed. Through the

same Christ our Lord. Amen.

300 days' indulgence. Pope Pius IX., May 14, 186 1.

A Prayer of St. Gertrude in Honor of St. Benedict.

1 salute thee, through the Heart of Jesus, O great
St. Benedict ! I rejoice in thy glory, and I give thanks
to our Lord for all the benefits which he has showered
upon thee; I praise Him, and glorify Him, and offer
thee, for an increase of thy joy and honor, the most
gentle Heart of Jesus. Deign therefore, O beloved
Father, to pray for us that we may become according
to the Heart of God. Amen.

AFFECTIONATE SALUTATIONS TO MARY. 349

Affectionate Salutations

Wherewith (he Servant of God, Father Paul of Moll,
Addressed Aary.

I greet thee, Mary, Daughter of God the Father.
I greet thee, Mary, Mother of the Son of God.
I greet thee, Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit.
I greet thee, Mary, Temple of the Blessed Trinity.
I greet thee, Mary, white Lily of the resplendent
Trinity.

I greet thee, Mary, fragrant Rose of the heavenly
court.

I greet thee, Mary, Virgin full of meekness and hu-
mility, of whom the King of heaven willed to be born
ancTnourished by thy milk.

I greet thee, Mary, Virgin of virgins.

I greet thee, Mary, Queen of martyrs, whose soul
was pierced by the sword of sorrows.

I greet thee, Mary, Lady and Mistress, to whom all
power has been given in heaven and on earth.

I greet thee, Mary, Queen of my heart, my sweet-
ness, my life and all my hope.

I greet thee, Mary, Mother most amiable.

I greet thee, Mary, Mother most admirable.

I greet thee, Mary, Mother of beautiful love.

I greet thee, Mary, conceived without sin.

I greet thee, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with
thee, blessed art thou among women, and blessed be the
fruit of thy womb.

Blessed be thy spouse Saint Joseph.

Blessed be thy father Saint Joachim.

Blessed be thy mother Saint Ann.

Blessed be thy angel Saint Gabriel.

350 AFFECTIONATE SALUTATIONS TO MARY.

Blessed be the Eternal Father who hath chosen thee.
Blessed be thy Son who hath loved thee.
Blessed be the Holy Ghost who hath espoused thee.
May all those who love thee bless thee.
O Blessed Virgin, bless us all in the name of thy
dear Son. Amen.

The venerable Father Paul assured one of his friends, that
those who devoutly venerate Mary with these affectionate salutations
may rely on her powerful protection and blessing.

Once, whilst giving a copy of these Salutations to a girl from
Eecloo, Father Paul said to her, "These Salutations are so beau-
tiful ! Say them every morning. From on high, in heaven, the Blessed
Virgin will then give you her blessing.

"Yes, yes, would to God that you could see her ! The Blessed
Virgin blesses you then; I know it quite well."

He said further that it is impossible not to be heard favorably
when we recite these Salutations to Mary for the conversion of sinners.

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Full text of "The Very Rev. Father Paul Of Moll: A Flemish Benedictine And Wonder-Worker Of The Nineteenth Century, 1824-1896"

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